Dance of Swords
by Tsubasagirl
Summary: She wasn't sure how she got there, but now she's trying to find a way back. Kira gets transported into the Shinsengumi Era, for reasons unknown...to her at least. She's wanted by many, and she's trying to stay out of trouble, but this one samurai just seems to pull her closer and closer. OC/Okita. Slight AU
1. Muffled Voices

**The urge… finally got to me. Now I have to do it… making a fanfiction of an OC with Okita…. *facepalm* I couldn't pick just one, so I'm just going to make stories with my favorite characters in Hakuoki. **

** Oh, I don't own Hakuoki or any of the characters, besides my OC.**

**I forgot to add this in, but it's a bit AU...**

* * *

Kira's wavy, brown to black hair was tied in a messy bun, and it was slowly coming apart. Her body was covered in sweat, but that was just part of it.

She was in the middle of practicing her dance for jazz.

Her loose, purple shirt was sliding off of her shoulders as she stretched her arms, and then tucked them back in, towards her body.

She slid down to the floor with the music, rolled her head, and stood back up, making a single pirouette.

Her foot stomped before rolling her hips.

Her teacher, Ms. Ray counted, "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight." She clapped her hands to keep the girls in step. Her blonde hair was cut short, and was wavy until the ends. Her blue eyes seemed to always survey the foot work, and timing.

Kira was in her zone. She didn't have to think much, because her legs seemed to just go along with the music. She was as if detached from the world, in her own place. Her stress from school was alleviated as all of her attitude went into her moves, how she felt like when she was in a bad situation in school, or anywhere else. She felt the adrenaline run through her veins.

She watched herself in the mirrors, making sure her moves were aligned with everybody else's and her expressions were correct.

Ms. Ray, her dance instructor, wasn't very strict. She was rather young and had a humorous side, much better than her friends' instructors. Kira watched as her friends did endless stretching, and almost no dancing, another where her friend got in trouble for not having her bangs out of her face.

Kira felt the air breeze through her shirt. Lose clothing seemed to work for her better than tight fitting articles. It made her feel free.

She rolled her head and brought her hands up and then down, counting three beats before pirouetting again with the rest of the girls. She kicked and then the music stopped.

Kira nearly stumbled and caught her balance. A few girls did the same and they giggled together. Kira did the same.

Ms. Ray, in her black yoga pants and jacket clapped her hands once, "Alright girls, that's enough for tonight. Go home and rest, because tomorrow morning, we're going to work on the last part and do the dance over and over again until it's perfect!"

The girls, dressed in a variety of colored shirts, cropped, lose or formfitting and shorts nodded and started to talk amongst each other.

Kira wasn't so happy that they were so close to the end and they had to stop, but she couldn't help it. A few girls walked up to her, one with her red hair already down, and the second girl with her dirty blonde hair in a ponytail.

"I fell out of my pirouette… _twice_!" Casy, the girl with red hair exclaimed.

"I nearly fell when she stopped the music!" Kira admitted as she tested to see if her hair was still up.

Bryn, with her hair in a ponytail sighed, "We're almost done."

"For _this_ dance." Casy added.

"Shut up!"

"Just one more left!" Kira countered. All three girls had the same classes, jazz, tap and ballet, and it was enough work already. The last dance was tap, and it was right after jazz.

Two more hours.

The three groaned simultaneously. It wasn't the fact that they didn't like tap, or that they were really _bad_ or anything, it was just the fact that the dance is more intense, and it required more energy.

Well, it seemed like it, since jazz is already draining.

"C'mon, we can do this." Kira cheered, although the words didn't affect any of them.

"When I get home, I'm going to sleep." Bryn muttered.

"Please don't talk about sleep," Casy pleaded as she raked her fingers through her hair.

…

Kira yawned loudly and obnoxiously as she got into her dad's car.

"That tiring?"

"YES." She replied as she stretched and clicked her seatbelt. She was so glad that she didn't have a license: otherwise she would've fallen asleep at the wheel if she had a car.

"Well, your mom made some baked chicken," he said as he revved the engine.

"I'll eat it all," she said.

Her dad's truck had all kinds of papers scattered on the dashboard and the back seats, and it reeked of work, which was construction. Nothing but the smell of dust and mud, and lumber that was sitting the trunk.

Kira changed into her denim shorts and flip-flops with a white tank top underneath a striped salmon and navy blue shirt that crossed in the back.

Her hair was up in a bun that she redid, and she was exhausted.

As her dad pulled out of the parking lot, she looked at the sky. The sun was above the silver line, and the objects in the background had a black hue to it.

Pastel colors filled the sky, and the clouds were pink. She could see the waning moon low in the sky, and a few impatient stars already started to show in the slowly darkening sky.

And then she closed her eyes.

As quickly as she closed them, she opened them again, only to see stars around her.

_Still dreaming._

She closed her eyes again and felt something cold on her face and mild air chilling her legs. She opened her eyes this time and stretched out her back, satisfied when she heard the roll of cracks from her spine.

Kira blinked a few times and surveyed her surroundings. It definitely wasn't the interior of her dad's truck.

More like a village with walls of houses made out of wood, and… windows that were made out of… what looked like paper.

"What… the… hell?"

She looked down and saw a dirt road underneath her. She stood on wobbly legs to get a better view. She saw a few lanterns hanging from the corners of the roofs.

_I'm dreaming again. _

She looked at the wooden barrels and crates that stood next to her.

_It's a dream! Relax!_

A glint of light appeared from the corner of her eye. She whipped around only to feel a burning sensation on her right arm.

_This is _not_ a dream!_ "OUCH!" She yelled. She clasped her arm where it was slashed with her left hand, and felt the warm blood soak the palm of her left hand.

She looked at what stabbed her. A sword, covered in… blood.

Kira nearly gagged. _Nasty, nasty, nasty!_

The one wielding the sword had snow white hair and red eyes. It was as if they were glowing. It was a man, with a disturbing grin with splatters of blood dotting the side of his face and his clothes.

A weird light blue long sleeved jacket that went just above his ankles with drooping sleeves that was covered in blood covered another piece of clothing, Kira didn't pay attention after that, because she heard him laugh.

A pang of fear stabbed right at her. He sang in a voice that sounded like it went through a voice changer, and it didn't work all of the way, but the language sounded foreign. He said something else and cackled.

_Definitely not a man!_

"Get away from me!" Kira yelled as she backed away slowly.

It laughed again and was about to move the bloodied sword, but then stopped.

A silver glint flashed and then a sword pierced it from behind. The creature arched its back and blood spattered everywhere.

Kira felt the warm blood touch her cheeks. _OH MY GOD!_ She cringed and closed her eyes to keep herself from throwing up.

She heard it screech one last time before it faded away. Kicking herself mentally, she opened one eye, only to see a pile of ash and a sword that laid on the ground.

She looked at the walls on both sides and saw blood splattered everywhere, as if someone threw a bucket of red paint everywhere. The scent was nasty. She felt her stomach churn, but she focused on whom, or what stabbed that… thing!

A man with a white bandana, with spiky brown hair wielded a sword, covered in blood. He wore the same thing like that creature did.

_Crap!_

He said something unrecognizable and she spun around and sprinted away. She heard footsteps coming after her, so she kicked it into high gear, nearly falling as she turned at a sharp corner.

Her heart was beating so fast, and her legs were too tired. Not to mention that she was hungry. She almost had to take her flip-flops off, but she didn't want to stop running.

_I can lose him if I get lost myself…_ Kira turned right and bumped into something soft, yet sturdy.

Kira yelped and stumbled backwards, "Sorry! I'm kind of running for my life here!" She blurted out.

She heard another set of unfamiliar words and looked at the person she bumped into.

He had brick red, somewhat brown hair with the same garb the two guys she ran into had. "Not another one…" she muttered. Before she started to turn around, she noticed that his eyes weren't red, like the first one. His eyes were emerald green. Her eyes darted to the red spot from her shoulder, and it was on his jacket. _That's just wonderful._

At his side was… two swords.

_Great. _

He lifted his eyebrows at her and blinked at her, then he said something else. Before she could question, even though she highly doubted that he would understand her, another voice sounded from behind her.

She turned to see the guy who, assumingly _saved _her. She wasn't so sure since she was too paranoid and scared to think about it.

He unsheathed his sword and walked to the guy she bumped into. Another guy, the same height as her, with extremely long, brown hair in a ponytail, with the trademark blue jacket with long sleeves, appeared from the opposite corner. He had blue-green eyes with a sword at his side.

He looked at Kira with a confused look.

As she heard the three guys talk, she noticed them glancing at her, looking at her up and down and started to talk again.

"Uh… what's going on here?" She asked.

They stopped talking and looked at her, and continued to chat.

_Yeah… they can't understand me._

And then they stopped. The guy with the ponytail looked at Kira and made a gesture to go in a direction.

_I guess they want me to follow them. Hell no!_

Kira shook her head and backed away.

She couldn't trust anyone right now, until she knew what was going on. Then again, she didn't want to rot in this… city… village?

They started to talk again and then the guy with the two swords looked at her. He smiled at her and extended a hand towards her.

Kira was in an emotional battle right now. She was petrified with fear, along with curiosity and excitement. She had no idea what she wanted to do next.

Taking a breath, she lifted her right hand, and cringed at the pain from her upper arm. With a shaky hand, she finally grasped his hand.

The smile turned into a smirk, and she was about to pull away, until he started to lead her along with a great amount of strength.

The two other guys sounded like they were cheering, and then they started to walk East. She glanced at the sun. Right… the sun sets in the West.

Kira had no choice but to follow as he tugged her along.

…

She was now in a building that was surrounded by a large wall. She then realized that she was somewhere in Japan, because the architect of the building was similar to the pictures in her text books in high school.

The guys shed their blue jackets somewhere and their white bandanas, she wasn't paying attention much, because she was still shaking, hand covering her wound.

They started to walk down what looked like an open hall, and Kira followed, but then the guy with the spiky hair, now with a green bandana turned and pointed to her feet.

_Alright, take off flip-flops._ Kira slipped them off, nearly stumbling to catch up.

The wooden floors stuck to the bottoms of her feet, and it was just so awkward. There was nothing but silence.

The sun was down, and the night sky was now here. Stars twinkled in all spots possible, and the same waning moon hung in the deep blue sky, almost black.

A sliding door opened, and the three guys went inside and Kira followed in. The guy with two swords looked at her and then at the door behind her.

It took Kira a second to figure out what was going on. She nodded once and quickly shut the door with her foot.

She looked around to find a room with lanterns in the corners. Small pillows laid about nearly everywhere, and a few guys were already inside. Wooden floors and walls, and another sliding door was at the back corner of the room.

The chattering inside stopped, and the guys' attention was on Kira.

She blinked. Not knowing what to do, instead, she tightened her grip on her wound. She grimaced in pain.

_This is… just beyond awkward._

A guy with dark red hair tied back, and amber eyes, with a shirt that showed part of his chest said something, possibly to one of the guys that walked in with her.

The guy with the ponytail looked at Kira and continued his conversation.

_What I would do to know what they were saying!_

Another one, with a purple outfit, Kira couldn't describe what it was… and indigo hair that was tied in a loose side ponytail with dark blue eyes, said something that made everyone silent and look at Kira.

Kira could've sworn that they were looking at what she was wearing. She had a feeling she didn't exactly blend in, her in her shorts and loose shirt.

And then one pointed at her wound.

Before anything could happen, the door behind her opened, she jumped and backed away a few feet.

Three more men walked in. Looking about thirty or so.

One with long black hair tied in a ponytail, one with glasses, and another with black, short hair. Again, she got another set of eyes looking at her, confused, as they looked at her down and up.

The man with long hair asked in a deep voice, that rattled the inside of her rib cage said something, sending daggers with his eyes at Kira, who looked beyond confused, and terrified. All three had swords.

_More swords. Why am I not surprised?_

The guy with short, black hair pointed at her wound, and the man with glasses nodded.

There were too many voices going on, and she was about to get a headache. _Can everyone just shut up for a moment?! I can barely hear myself think!_

It was as if her prayer was answered, because the man with long hair out spoke everyone. Silence. He said something to the man in glasses, and he nodded.

He looked at Kira and motioned her to come closer.

She did, and he started to walk to the door in the back. Like a lost puppy, she followed. He entered the room, and followed. The room had a small hall, that led to what looked like a kitchen.

As she listened to the chatter outside, the man with glasses pulled out a drawer and took out a cloth and some bandages.

_Good, something finally good happens,_

Dipping the cloth in water, Kira removed her hand and let him wipe the dried blood off of her hands.

He then started to clean her wound, and she winced at the cool water, and the stinging sensation. Before she knew it, he started to wrap a bandage around her.

And then he was done.

_That was fast._ She looked at her arm, which was now wrapped precisely with white bandages. Some of the blood bled through, but not much.

She nodded to the man, hoping he would understand that she was thanking him.

He did the same and walked out of the room first.

She followed and closed the door behind her.

Almost all of the men inside the room were now talking, taking glances at her, and then continued to talk. The feeling to just blurt something out was just gnawing at her.

She then heard what sounded like complaining and persuading. She looked at the guys, some looked disappointed, and some were just neutral about it.

The guy with the two swords looked somewhat disappointed, but Kira couldn't help the fact that he looked as if he couldn't care less, a little.

The man with the black, long ponytail sighed. Some of the guys cheered.

…

Later, it seemed to look like that they were about to eat, and she was more than grateful. She was given a tray with a bowl of rice and chopsticks, with a bowl of soup with a ridiculous amount of noodles inside on the other side of the tray.

The cup looked like to be water, so she took a sip out of it.

And then she looked at the bowl of rice and then at the soup. Finally, she looked at the chopsticks.

_Oh, God… I don't know how to use these._ She groaned inwardly and just stared at the bowl.

A second later, a hand reached for her rice bowl, and swiped it off the tray. She blinked. "Hey!" She turned and leaned forward, snatching the stolen bowl from the guy with red hair and amber eyes. He looked surprised for a second. "No!" It was like talking to a little kid when they took something that didn't belong to them.

She heard the guy with the green bandana laugh, and the guy with a brown ponytail started to laugh, and what sounded like, choking on his food.

Kira then heard the guy with two swords and green eyes chuckle across from her. He rested on the wall, with one knee propped up, and one folded underneath. His swords were resting on the wall, over his shoulders.

He locked eyes with her and smirked. She tore away from his gaze and grabbed the chopsticks. Without thinking, she dug the chopsticks into the bowl and scooped up a small bit of rice.

Hoping she got a decent amount of rice on the chopsticks, she placed the tips in her mouth. To her relief, she actually got some rice. Maybe a record.

She took the chopsticks out and chewed.

Something strange happened. The unfamiliar words transitioned into a blur, and then slowly sounding like English words. Like a record starting on a wind-up record player.

"She seems to not know what to do, like a little kid," she heard the guy with indigo hair say.

She looked at him and put her bowl down, making a clatter noise, "What did you say about me?!" She never felt so excited to hear English! Maybe a bit too excited, because it caught the attention of everyone in the room. She swallowed.

* * *

**OMG This story… is just…**

**Anyways, here some some clarifications:**

**There is a reason why she suddenly 'transported' to Kyoto. She DID fall asleep, but did I say this was a dream? No!**

**To make it realistic-ish, Kira has no idea what they're saying because… hello?! Japanese?**

**Her name means 'to glitter' or a 'star' in Japanese. It's used in America, so it was easy to use.**

**Yes, there is another reason why she can suddenly understand what they're saying after she had some food, which will be explained in future chapters.**

**Again, she's American, so she doesn't really know about kimonos, haori or anything like that! Let's say that she isn't an otaku or whatever, so she has no idea what is what!**

**Sorry if there was little to no relationship-fluff with Kira and Okita. It'll speed up in the 2nd chapter!**

**Thanks for reading R&R!**


	2. Difference of Time

** Seriously, I read a few reviews and it just… made me so happy! Thank you so much!**

**Anyways, here's another chapter that I was dying to type! R&R!**

**EDIT: Due to coincidental similarities with another story, I changed a few things, even though they were just minor things. I want to thank the person who warned me about it. I don't want this story to get deleted over little things.**

* * *

They all looked at her, and the guy with the green bandana exclaimed, "She talked!"

_I've _been_ talking…_

"Hey! Say something else!" The guy with brown hair in a ponytail yelled out.

"Something else," she replied bluntly.

Apparently, her earlier outburst was forgotten, because the guy with purple-ish hair didn't respond to it. He just closed his eyes and kept on eating.

The man with long, black hair said something, "So, you could talk all this time?"

He sounded a bit ticked off, and it sent goose bumps down her neck, "I…" _They'll think I'm crazy if I just say that I ate something and started to 'talk'. _"Was petrified with fear… and I spoke a different language…?" She strung words together frantically.

"See Hijikata-san? Now you can't throw her out!" The guy with the green bandana called out.

"Throw me out?!" Kira widened her eyes. _Would he seriously do that?!_

The guy with the two swords answered back, "Since you couldn't speak Japanese, he was thinking of throwing you out, since you were _useless_. As if anyone would understand anything if you tried to explain what happened." He still had that smile and he winked at her.

Honestly, this guy was just getting under her skin.

"So, would you be so kind to tell us from the beginning how this all happened?" The man with glasses asked as he took a sip from the cup.

It was silent again.

"I suppose so," she said as she put her bowl of rice and chopsticks back on the tray. She sat cross-legged and cracked her knuckles as a way to calm herself down. "I was coming back from dance class, in _my_ country, and then I fell asleep. The next thing I knew, I woke up in an alley. I thought this was all a dream… until this… thing… with white hair and red eyes stabbed my arm," she said as she pointed her bandage. "And then I saw him," she pointed at the guy with the green bandana, "kill it, and I ran away and then bumped into him," she then pointed to the guy sitting across from her. "I had no idea what was going on, let alone understand what they were all saying, and then I got here."

They all looked at her with neutral looks. Maybe they were hiding their expressions like the, she's-a-total-nutcase-look.

"It sounds crazy, and it could be, but it's the truth."

Again, silence was all there was in the room. Kira felt uneasy.

"So that means you saw _them _didn't you?" Hijikata cursed under his breath.

"_Them_ as in…"

The man with glasses said something irrelative to the sudden subject. His face looked upset in a

way. "What your saying is that what ever happened to you happened just about the same time that

girl disappeared." He muttered.

"What?"

"What you just said. That happened approximately the same time when a local girl vanished."

_Weird._

"So what should we do now?" The man with the short black hair asked.

The man, Hijikata spoke, "We have no choice but to let her stay here. It's not like she'll blend in with everyone else. Besides, killing her would be unnecessary until we know why this happened." He said as he looked at her clothes. "Just stay inside the boundaries, and _don't_ leave the property until told by one of us. Or else your little head will be separated from your shoulders." He glared at her.

Kira shivered, "U-understood." _Believe me, I don't want to die any earlier._

The guy that stole her rice bowl rested his elbow on a propped knee and looked at her, "So, you never mentioned your name."

"Oh, I'm Kira." She turned her head.

"Last name?"

"Would it matter?"

He blinked and looked at her, slightly confused.

The guy with the purple hair replied calmly, "Around here, we usually say someone's last name, instead of their first."

It felt like she got shot down without a second thought. "Oh, okay." She said with a bit of sass. "Hale. But seriously," she looked at the other guys, "you can call me 'Kira'."

The guy with the two swords smirked and leaned off of the wall and leaned forward, "Well, Kira-chan, I'm Okita Souji, the grumpy one is Hijikata-san," he said. Hijikata growled and continued to eat. "This is Saito-kun…" the guy with purple hair looked at him and then looked away, "the one who stole your rice for half a second is Sanosuke, the one with the green bandana is Shinpachi, and next to him is Heisuke. He's Kondou Isami, and the one with glasses is Sannan."

_What's with 'chan' at the end of my name? This is just so weird._

"Why are you introducing her to all of us?" Hijikata asked with an angry look on his face.

"Well," Okita sighed, "since she'll be here for a while, I supposed that she should know _something._"

He sighed.

Kondou looked at Kira, "Do you mind us telling what you can do? We wouldn't want someone to be… un-helpful."

"It's not like we're gonna throw her out anyways," Sanosuke said.

Kira shrugged, "Well, I dance. I'm very flexible… and I can run fast."

"Well, you at least need to be put under someone's care…" he said.

There was silence. Again.

_Oh my God… this silence is just killing me._

Okita spoke up, "I'll do it."

_What?_

"Really, Souji…?" Kondou asked, as if baffled.

He shrugged, "She's interesting…"

_I did not just hear that, did I?_

"Alright then," he replied.

A few minutes ticked away, and one by one, they left, well, Hijikata, Sannan and Kondou left, that is.

"Hey, Kira-chan," Heisuke started.

She looked up, "Yeah?" it felt weird hearing those last four letters after her name, but she decided to just go along with it.

"Aren't you hungry? Earlier, you snatched the bowl away from Sano so fast! Faster than me!" He grinned.

Sanosuke smiled and scoffed, "So that means your skills are worse than we thought!"

Heisuke sneered at him.

She bit her tongue before responding, "No, believe me, I'm _starving_. I could eat a village right now…"

Shinpachi added, "But…?"

Her face turned red as she sighed and looked down, shamefully, "I…"

"Just say it," Sanosuke said.

"Don't know… how to eat rice with… chopsticks…" she muttered.

Silence. And then laughter burst throughout the room. She nearly toppled over, because it was so sudden. She could've sworn she had a mini heart attack.

Everyone was laughing, or smiling.

Her face turned an even darker shade of red, "S-shut up! I use chopsticks!" _In Chinese restaurants. _"But I can never manage to eat rice with it!"

Heisuke clutched his stomach, and Shinpachi was next. "So how do you eat it then?!"

Kira never felt so embarrassed. It was like tripping over her own feet constantly if she were performing. She covered her face with her hands and yelled, "Shut up!" She removed her hands from her face and folded her arms.

Sanosuke started to laugh, and Okita chuckled. Saito stopped chewing and smiled slightly.

"Guess we'll have to feed her," Okita remarked.

She widened her eyes, "No. Someone just needs to show me how…" her blush was still on her cheeks.

Sanosuke sighed as his laughter died down, "This just made my night."

"This is a serious issue! I'm _starving_! And I don't want to waste the rice," she admitted as a smile curled her lips.

"You should keep on doing that," Okita said.

Kira looked at him, even though it seemed to be a bit difficult to keep her gaze locked with his for more than three seconds, "Do what? Keep on saying that I don't know how to eat rice with chopsticks?"

He smirked and chuckled again, "No, no. But that's close. Keep on smiling. It's cute when you smile."

"I know, I'm just adorable," she gloated.

"Souji, why don't you teach her? You said that you would watch her and help her out." Saito pointed out.

Okita scoffed before he stood and grabbed his swords as he started to walk towards her. "You better appreciate this, Kira-chan." He smirked.

That smirk just… threw her off. It felt so strange to just look at it.

_He's serious…?! _"You're going to help me," she said. "Yes," she smiled, but no emotion came from her voice. It wasn't sarcasm though. She was so happy. Food was on its way.

He sat right next to her. She could feel his body heat ever-so close to her. He placed the swords right next to him. "Grab the chopsticks." He said.

Sanosuke, Heisuke and Shinpachi were now at their own antics, Sanosuke moved and was now sitting with the other two, fighting over a bowl of soup. They argued… loudly.

Kira did so.

He then clasped his hand over hers, molding her hand like his so she was holding them properly.

"Just follow my hand," he said.

_This is just… damaging my pride tremendously._

She went for the rice, and the chopsticks opened, thanks to Okita. Kira tried to copy his hand, but it was hard since his hand was over hers.

The chopsticks scooped up a large portion of rice, and instead of it going in Kira's mouth, it took a detour and went for Okita instead.

She blinked and exclaimed, "Hey! No! No! That's my food!"

"Hmm? But I'm teaching you right now, so I think I should get a reward," he said as he swallowed.

"But you _already _ate! I haven't eaten anything for _six_ hours! If you do that again, I will rip off your face."

He looked at her. He lifted an eyebrow at her, "Oohh, got a little temper there."

"When I'm hungry, yes."

He chuckled. "Cute."

…

Eventually, Kira managed to sate her hunger with cold rice and soup, but she could care less, hot or cold, it was food and it was delicious.

Despite the fact that Okita stole a few bites of food from her, she learned how to use chopsticks when eating rice, which was practically her goal in this life right now.

They all finished dinner and they were out in the property of the building.

The lights were lit, and the stars and moon were lights themselves. Kira sat on the boardwalk, her feet being tickled by the cool grass. Her head rested on a wooden beam, and her eyes were about to close until someone tapped her shoulder. It felt like a foot, actually.

She looked over her shoulder to find Heisuke grinning at her slightly. "Hey, Kira-chan. What are you doing?"

Kira shrugged, "I have no idea. Sitting, I guess."

"Well, just saying, you can call me Heisuke, since we're probably close. Age wise." He shrugged as he sat down next to her.

"…Okay… Heisuke… I'm sixteen so…" she said slowly.

He gave her this look, as if he got pricked with a needle.

"What?" She blinked, "Did I say something wrong?"

He laughed nervously, "Ah, you're supposed to add '-san' or '-kun' at the end."

"Why?"

"It's basically giving basic respect to someone. You don't do this back home?" He looked at her with a slight smile, a glint of confusion blurring his eyes.

She shook her head, "No. We just say each other's first name. Besides 'mom', 'dad' and Mr. or Mrs. with adults. When my parents say my entire name, including middle name that means that I'm probably in trouble."

"So, it's basically like that, only it's at the end." He smiled again.

"I didn't insult you, right? Because I had no idea what I was doing."

"I was surprised, but I kind of figured that you wouldn't know." He paused. "You look awfully tired."

She nodded, "Well, what do you expect? I danced for four hours, ran for my life, and now I'm here. I'm just going to fall asleep when my head makes contact with a pillow, or anything soft."

"Yeah, I don't have to night patrols, so I can sleep whenever tonight."

"Patrols?"

"We—"

"Are you just going to explain _everything_ to her?"

Heisuke turned around, "Okita!"

Kira did the same. She was too tired to exclaim, or jump at the sudden voice behind her.

He looked at Kira, "I'll show you your room," he said.

She nodded slowly and waved at Heisuke before following Okita down the pathway, slightly drowsy and sluggish. She barely paid attention to detail. She was too focused on being able to sleep.

Kira nearly bumped into him when he stopped walking, he opened the door and Kira walked in. She turned around and smiled slightly, "Thanks."

Okita widened his eyes and the nodded once.

Kira closed the sliding door and looked at… what looked like a sleeping bag, laying in the middle of the room. It had white edges and a purple design on it. The moon streamed through the paper-like windows, showing the bed in a light blue hue. Better than nothing.

She immediately slipped in and closed her eyes without thought.

…

The sun's rays were blinding to her, even though her eyes were closed. Like someone shot a flash of red light straight into her eyes.

_I thought I told mom to keep the blinds closed…_

She groaned and sat up, rubbing her eyes, only to wince as pain ran up and down her right arm. Her eyes shot wide open and then she looked at her arm.

There was the bandage.

From yesterday.

_Oh… yeah, that wasn't a realistic dream either. This is… real…_

The room she was in didn't have light blue walls with those large, cloud wall stickers on them. Her cherry oak desk wasn't inside, and neither was a dresser. Yep. This wasn't her room.

Instead of freaking out, she just sat there, trying to process what exactly was going on. She fell asleep, woke up in a town, got attacked, then got help. Her wound was dressed and now she's with a bunch of guys in a Japanese house… mansion… Kira didn't know how big the place was.

Well, at least she didn't have to do morning practice.

And then something hit her.

Her iPod that she left in her pocket when she left the dance studio. Shooting up to her feet, her hands searched her pockets, and she pulled out an iPod with a silicone case with the ear buds still wrapped up nicely. No one would know how they weren't tangled, but she was glad.

She still had music. She pressed the button, and it lead to the password screen. She tapped in the numbers, and the screen showed all of her apps, and the battery was at 70%. Hope was not lost. At least she still had something _modern_.

Shoving her iPod back in her pocket, she left the room and started to walk down the wooden path. All she knew that the dining room, or so it seemed, had huge doors, and the only huge doors were just a few feet away from the door to her room.

Yawning, she slid the door open and rubbed her eyes. Stepping in, she closed the door behind her.

A few pairs of eyes looked up at her.

"Morning, Kira-chan!" Sanosuke greeted.

"Looks like someone had a good sleep," Shinpachi added.

Kira guess that her hair looked like a bush, but since she slept with her bun still there, she figured it wouldn't be as crazy if she didn't have it in. "Yeah," she nodded slowly.

Okita walked out with a tray of food and smirked at her as he pointed to his face, "You have tatami marks all over your face."

_Ta—what? _She looked at him, with a tired expression, "What's that?"

The guys chuckled. "Guess that didn't work," Saito muttered.

Okita frowned, but it didn't stick for long, "Gotta increase the effort for you," he said to Kira, who was still too dazed to comprehend what was going on. "Ah, but you still have some blood on your face from yesterday," he said.

That, she remembered. "Oh." She blinked. "Okay." And with that, she turned around and left the room quietly, hearing chuckling and laughter from Shinpachi.

She could've sworn she saw a well somewhere… her eyes scanned the area, and found what looked like a rock, with a bucket near the side.

_There it is…_

Hopping over the ledge of the pathway, she walked to the well, taking a handful of cool water, splashing it on her face.

Her vision of dull colors turned more vibrant, and her sluggish feeling was dwindling. Scrubbing every possible spot on her face, and on her neck, she managed to get the dried blood off, because the copper color trailed down her hands. Splashing her face again, she felt instantly refreshed, minus the fact that her clothes were splattered in blood, but she couldn't do anything about that…

The warm air instantly cooed her goose bumps away as she started to walk away from the well. As if it were programmed into her head, she grabbed her iPod and took out the headphones and shoved them back in her pocket.

_Might as well dance, since I got nothing much to do._ She just needed to find a big enough room so she wouldn't kick, or crash into anything.

Hopping back onto the pathway, she traveled further than she was familiar with and started to look around. The sound of laughter diminishing by the second.

Turning at a corner, she found a set of doors, set open, leading into a room. Practically the size of her dance studio, maybe a bit bigger.

Taking a peak, she saw no one. But it reeked of sweat. Maybe it was currently used. She scrunched up her nose before walking in.

Through a series of stretches, she started to search through her playlist. She found her jazz routine song and set it at the loudest volume possible.

She set it on the wooden floors and stepped a few feet away from it as she waited for the music to start. Once it did, she counted and bobbed her head side to side and then rolled it. Outstretching her hands to both sides, making sure not to strain the right arm, she rolled her body and then took her left arm and placed it in front of her. She bent forward, enough for her to snap up, sending her hair flying.

She stomped and then let her legs do the rest.

Imagining all of the girls with her, she waited for her cue as she pictured the girl one by one performing their move.

She moved finally and rolled her hips and snapped her head to one side. She kicked before snapping and spinning to 'back-stage' as if she were on the stage performing. Despite her somewhat aching arm, she gave it her all, performing every move with her best accuracy, taking a pause and then restarting.

But it wasn't so easy to spin on wooden floors when the bottoms of her feet stuck to it, so she skipped the pirouettes and moved on ahead.

Repeating the words Ms. Ray would say in her head, she moved her feet and could hear her clapping to get everyone in synch.

Clapping to both sides, she kicked again and dropped to the floor.

Since she didn't learn the last part of the dance, she improvised by including a few moves that were repeated earlier in the dance.

The song was on repeat, and she redid the dance, noting every step she took, making sure they were better than the previous ones, adding more attitude in them, but she didn't have much to vent out, so it wasn't as emotional. And her right arm had an exception.

She made a few sloppy pirouettes and continued on. As she clapped again, she heard something in the background, and it wasn't the music, or her imaginative image and voice of Ms. Ray. Kira, however, didn't look to see who was talking, she was too busy, and it would just mess her up, so she continued.

But as she danced, she slowly made out a few voices, and nearly stumbled. She regained her composure as she improvised a move, to ease up the accident.

Once the song ended, she was out of breath, and walked to her iPod and paused the song that was about to replay.

She looked at the doorway and saw… everyone standing there… looking at her, most of them with surprised expressions. Guess they didn't know what 'dance' really meant.

"Uh… hi…" she said as she shoved her iPod back in her pocket.

"So, that was… the dancing you were talking about…" Heisuke started slowly.

Kira nodded, "Yeah, what do you expect when I said that I dance for four hours a day?"

He shrugged.

Silence—_ no, not again. _To avoid another interval of silence she asked, "So, what are you guys doing here anyways? I thought you were eating breakfast…"

"We thought you probably got lost, since you were half asleep," Okita grinned.

"And then we heard this strange sound." Saito added.

_It was _that_ loud?_

Sanosuke rested his arm on the door frame, "Where did it come from?"

_Honestly, if I told them, then I would be attacked with questions. _"That is... forbidden." She slowly strung a few words together, "My country forbids... others from knowing our technology..." she shrugged.

Shinpachi sighed, "Ah well. Can't be helped."

…

After a few minutes of convincing the guys that the sound was just nothing, which consisted question after question, Kira finally decided to have breakfast, which was basically the same thing like what she had last night, a bowl of rice and a piece of fish. As in, a fish-fish, not the fish fillet she gets when she eats at home. She couldn't describe how weird it was eating parts of the fish as its eye just stared at her. She nearly lost her appetite because of that.

Since most of the guys were done eating, she was practically alone in the room, but she didn't mind, since she was listening to music.

Okita mentioned that he and the others had to do their morning patrol, whatever that was. That was something else that she needed to figure out. Was it safety patrol or something? She would've gone with them to figure it out for herself, but then she remembered that guy, Hijikata threatening her that she couldn't leave unless she was given permission. But he was too intimidating for her, even being in the same room with him just gave her the chills.

Beyond her music, she heard frantic footsteps nearing the door. Curious, she took her ear buds out and quickly turned off her iPod and put it back in her pocket, not wanting to go through the same, long explanation of what it was. Just one experience was enough.

The doors slid open with a harsh scraping of wood and Kondou looked at Kira with an exasperated expression. It looked a bit scary.

"C-can I help you?" She nearly choked on her fish.

"You said that you can run fast, right?"

She nodded.

"You need to get a message to Souji and the others! The criminals are actually on the South side of Kyoto!" He sounded really frustrated.

"So, where would I find them?" _Because I have no idea what 'Kyoto' is! Let alone navigate in this building!_

"They should be around somewhere when you just leave the gates! Go!" He said as he fast walked away, leaving the door wide open.

Due to the urgent look on his face, Kira stood and bolted out of the room, leaving the tray of food inside, going in the direction that she hoped that led to place where she placed her flip-flops.

_I don't know where anything is, so if I die, it's their fault!_

* * *

**And… another chapter has been finished! Oh, Kira… you have absolutely no idea where to go… *sigh**

** I never thought I would be this excited about this story, so I'm just going to spend my night typing chapter 3. **

** Oh, and thank you for the lovely reviews, honestly, they just make my day! **

** And yes, I'm aware that she still has her modern clothes on.**

** R&R!**


	3. Challenges that Lie Ahead

**First off, I want to say:**

**Oh my goodness, these reviews. They make my heart flutter (that was stupid, but that's what I'm feeling right now) and I just can't help but smile. Seriously, I'm so happy that you guys are enjoying this story, (even though this story just has 3 chapters in it so far) and well… I just want to say thanks to all of you who review, hugs to you all! You are amazing people!**

**Well, here you go, the 3****rd**** chapter! R&R!**

* * *

Kira managed to slip on her flip-flops in half a second before nearly stumbling down the cement stairs and dashing for the wooden gates. How she managed to find her flip-flops was beyond her comprehension, but she had something else to worry about.

She grabbed the handle and pulled, grateful that it actually opened with a creak of wood. If only she knew that she would wake up in somewhat ancient Japan, she would've brought sneakers. Not paying attention to her surroundings as much, she sprinted through the main dirt road.

As her legs took off, she heard murmurs spreading amongst the townsfolk, commenting on her outfit, on occasion, she heard a mother warn their kids not to look.

After running past a few buildings with half-cut curtains with strange symbols on them, she decided to take one of the smaller roads, passing many people as she ran.

_Okay, finding guys in light blue jackets won't be hard… right?_ She reached a fork in the path and scanned both sides. Both seemed rather empty. She sighed and took the one on her left. A cloud of dust emerged from the ground as her flip-flops slapped the dirt road.

She winced as pain grew with each step. _Blisters. Stupid flip-flops._ She looked up, to see a few clouds lazily float across the sky, and the sun was nearly in the middle of the sky.

She stopped running and saw a woman carrying a bag, running up to her she asked, "Excuse me, have you seen any men here with white bandanas and blue… jackets?" She had no idea if they even used the word 'jacket'.

The woman looked at her, surprised. She glanced at Kira up and down before giving Kira a look, either of disgust or fear, "I'm sorry," she said. "Haven't seen anyone."

Kira sighed, "Thanks anyway," she said before taking off.

Seconds seemed like hours as she asked a number of people if they saw Okita, Heisuke, or the others, but it was all a similar answer, "No, sorry." and "Sorry, I can't help you out."

She couldn't help but think that they purposely said 'no' because of the way she was dressed. It was starting to get to her.

A flash of light blue caught her eye. She whipped around so see a few men walking on a distant road, and they were leaving quickly.

_Aha! There they are!_

Kira dashed to where she saw them at high gear. Arms pumping and heart racing. The summer heat didn't make it any easier either.

Reaching a corner, she slid on her feet and changed direction, nearly slipping, and perused after them. She could easily see a group of men, swords at their sides and the ends of the bandanas fluttering with each step.

_I need to get to the front._

Despite her aching feet, she continued to run, nearly crashing into people walking in the opposite direction.

_Almost there._

When she finally made it to the front of the flank, she stopped on her feet and slid right in front of Saito and Okita. They stopped, and immediately, the men behind them did as well.

They all looked surprised.

"Hale-san, what are you doing out here?" Saito asked with a surprised expression.

"Aren't you supposed to be back at headquarters, Kira-chan?" Okita added. His face had a similar shocked look.

Kira took in a few breaths, "Apparently, the criminals are in the South part of Kyoto!" _How in the world did I memorize that?!_

Both looked surprised.

Saito nodded at Okita and turned to the men behind them. "Let's go!"

"Yes!" The men repeated in unison.

Saito and the other men rushed down a different path, the sounds of clattering swords and pounding feet filled the sky.

Okita looked at Kira, "How did you get here so fast?"

"I ran." She said, taking in breaths in between words. Running in flip-flops might as well be like running over burning charcoal. In between both of her big toes had the most pain, followed by the sides of her feet where the straps of the flip-flops connected with the soles of the sandal.

"Wow," he breathed in as he smirked. "You _do_ run fast." He turned to where Saito and the rest of the men headed. "Now, c'mon." He said as he started to run.

_Oh, God. Not again. _She sighed and ran after him. She cringed at the pain, but she pressed on, in hopes of not being left behind in the dust, lost in the town.

And then she looked at him as she ran. Taking short glances at him so that she wouldn't bump into anything.

Okita held his two swords at his hip as he sprinted through the alleyways, Kira, not too far behind. In fact, she was neck and neck with him.

If only she could ditch her flip-flops, but running on a dirt road, barefoot, wasn't the best idea. Who knows what was on it, and she had no idea if their medical field was good enough if she got an infection.

Once they turned at a corner, Kira could see an opening, leading to a larger road.

It only took seconds for them to catch up to the rest of the group.

They finally slowed their pace as the group dispersed as they each fought someone. Swords clashed with each other, and screams were heard. She saw the blood, as if it were yesterday, being splattered on the ground. _That is just so… _

"Hmm, looks like they got all of the fun," Okita pouted as more men fell down, mostly were the men that weren't wearing the light blue jackets. But a few were sprawled on the ground, dead in their own pools of blood, and their sword not too far away.

The scent was back again. Kira held her breath, to prevent herself from throwing up. _I'm never going to get used to this. And how is this _fun_?!_

Okita muttered something before facing her, pulling out his sword. The metal glinted in the sun, making her cringe. _Wait… what is he doing?!_

In a blur, he brought the sword right past her ear, and she felt something warm touch the back of her legs.

Right behind her, she heard a man grunt and then the sound of a dropped sword. She jumped and spun around. There lay a man, with a bloody hole in his chest, with streams of crimson streaming down his slightly parted mouth. His eyes were open and empty.

Dead.

She watched as his clothing started to get bloodier as the red liquid poured out of his body. She didn't even hear him approach!

Her eyes darted to the sword that just saved her. The top half of the sword was covered in blood, and she could smell it.

"That was close," he smirked at the dead body.

_Really close. _"Uh… t-thanks…?"

He didn't respond with words, he just kept that devilish smirk on as he spun around and slashed a man's stomach.

Kira averted her gaze quickly to not see anymore, but she couldn't help but watch as Okita moved around fluidly, nearly killing any man who tried to attack him with one slash.

"Stay close to me, and try not to get killed, or I might kill _you_," he said in a gentle, but menacing look, before he turned his attention to killing the men who charged at him.

She couldn't speak. She never experienced anything so gory in her life, nor did she ever hear the calmest threat ever! And it wasn't those overly dramatic effects when someone gets shot in a movie. It was simpler, but the aftereffects were brutal.

As the number of the enemy's men dwindled to one—zero, the last one fell with two wounds one going in his torso and one stabbed where his heart was.

Every guy had bloodstains on his face, hands and parts of his clothes, but they acted as if it were nothing.

During the fight, Kira didn't move from the spot she stood in the moment she got there. Too afraid to move her legs, and also her feet were killing her.

"We managed to kill them all," Saito said as he cleaned some of the blood off of his sword with a piece of clean cloth from one of the fallen men. His white scarf had a few spots of crimson on it.

The men with the light blue jackets did the same, some helping others up due to an injury.

_Great… because killing is alright._

"You had most of the fun though, Hajime-kun," Okita countered as he surveyed the scene.

Kira did the same, and saw women and children backing away in fear, men reaching for their swords, just in case they were about to be attacked.

They all looked terrified. She would be too. Right now, she was just grossed out.

"Hey, Kira-chan," Okita spoke.

She looked at him.

"You did well today," he said. "Turns out I won't kill you."

_What's up with him and threats?! _Kira just nodded and shifted stances. She winced and finally had enough. Tearing her flip-flops off of her feet and into her hands, she felt the breeze cool off her burning blisters. Looking at Okita she asked, "Where are the others?"

"Oh, they have different rounds than us. We don't usually see each other until patrolling is done." He glanced at her feet, "Do you _want_ to step in blood in bare feet?"

"These stupid flip-flops were giving me blisters, and I couldn't take it anymore."

"Well, it's going to be a long walk back to headquarters," Saito said.

Kira just shrugged.

Okita teased, "Oh, do you want me to carry you then?"

"Nah, I'm fine," she replied, unfazed.

"We better go report this back," Saito said as he looked at Kira with piercing blue eyes.

She put up her hands in defense, "Sorry, but if you expect me to run back, I won't do it. I have no idea where it is."

…

"I still can't believe that they were all hiding in one small building," Heisuke remarked.

"Not exactly the smartest people," Saito said as he scrubbed his bloodied scarf with a washcloth.

They all returned to headquarters, and Kira, Okita and Saito were washing the blood off. Well, Kira was still a bit zoned out. The afternoon sun was cooking her hair, and it if it were a few degrees hotter, she could've used it as a way to cook eggs on it. And the reflection of the sun was on the water in the bucket, making her cringe.

"So how did you make it to Okita-san and Hajime-kun so quickly, Kira-chan?" Sanosuke asked.

Kira didn't hear much. She just stared at the newly added blood splatters on her leg.

"Kira-chan!" He said again.

She blinked and jumped slightly, "Oh? What? Hello!" she sighed and placed her hand on the side of her head, "No, sorry, I'm just a bit zoned out right now."

"We could tell, since you haven't even touched the washcloth," Saito said.

"Is Kira-chan still shaken up?" Okita mused with his smirk curling his lips.

She looked at him, "Yup. Well, there was just… too much… blood."

"Well that's what you get when you're standing right in the middle of a fight," Saito replied.

"You're over exaggerating," she said, slightly annoyed. Both targeting Saito and Okita "I wasn't in the _middle_ of it. More like in the sidelines."

Okita shrugged, "Same difference."

"Besides, my feet were killing me. I could barely move because they hurt so badly!" She looked at her blisters, to see that they've gotten worse. They would be there for a while. And the walk back to headquarters wasn't a walk in the park either. People looked at her funny and she heard a few comments about it too, and what's worse what that—

"And then you stepped in blood…" he added with a chuckle.

Kira shivered, "Ugh! Don't remind me! It was still warm!" She hunched her shoulders and her fingers twitched. She was happy that no blood got on her blisters, or in an _open_ one. That would've been a problem.

Her left foot, the unfortunate one, moved, only to feel the crackle of dry blood and dirt.

Shinpachi mentioned, "Seems that you don't like this kind of stuff."

_Killing? Blood? Of course not! _"Well, it's not like I'm surrounded in blood and swords in my daily life, unlike you guys, who seem totally fine about it." She tried not to scowl.

…

"So, Hale-san managed to get to Souji and Hajime-kun in time?" Kondou asked.

"Yes, she reached us within a few minutes after we left headquarters," Saito confirmed.

Kira sat in the middle of the meeting, somewhat awkwardly, with her legs crossed on a mat. It was like dinner from last night all over again. Kira remained silent most of the time, wishing that she could just leave and listen to some music. She was bored overall.

"Well, Hale-san, you did a good job today." Sannan said, with his hands in his sleeves.

Her daze didn't interfere her hearing, so she immediately nodded. "Thanks."

"I'm sure being in the middle of that fight was a bit intense for you," Kondou said with an apologetic look.

She nodded regretfully, "Just a little." She immediately blocked all of the bloody memories to keep herself from nearly gagging. She never thought it would be _that_ nasty, since in most movies, they usually don't show all of the gore in it.

Hijikata spoke, "Since we don't have many messengers, you could be the next one." He said to Kira, who stiffened a bit. The way he talked still got to her, even though he wasn't sending daggers at her like he did earlier.

Kira didn't exactly respond because Kondou beat her to it. "But you don't know how to fight, do you?"

She shook her head. "Not exactly." _If you count fooling around with plastic swords with your friends in a dollar store, then maybe…_

"Hmm, well then, she needs to learn quickly," Sannan said as he turned to Hijikata.

He nodded as well. "It would be a waste, and dangerous for her to run around not knowing the basics."

_Guess he's not as cruel… he's just still… scary._

The three men looked at Okita. "Souji," Kondou started, "since you said you would take care of her, why don't you teach her?"

Before Okita could respond, Heisuke blurted out, "Ehh?! Okita is just going to kill her! You know he gets crazy when he's fighting!"

Okita scoffed. The idea of Okita possibly killing her, even if they were practicing was an awfully realistic image.

"Heisuke!" Kondou sternly.

"He has a point though," Sannan said, "you said so yourself that he didn't stop until he was told to."

"Eh…?" Okita sighed, "I said that I would have her in my care, and I can't even teach her how to fight?" He sounded calm, and a bit disappointed. It sounded deceiving at the same time.

This time it was Shinpachi who interrupted, "A little kid like you trying to teach Kira-chan? Hahaha! She would knock you down in one hit!" He laughed.

Kira found that hard to believe, since Heisuke was probably more skilled than she'll ever be… with a sword at least. So she remained silent as she listened to the conversation.

Heisuke responded with the same loud voice, "At least I'm not ancient like you!"

"What did you just say?!"

Sanosuke laughed arrogantly, "Ha! If anything, I'm the better fighter than all of you!"

Kira sighed inwardly. _Is it always like this?_

She was brought out of her trance as quickly as she entered it when Heisuke asked her, "Hey, Kira-chan! Who do you think is better?"

Hijikata yelled. "All of you, shut up!"

Kira then looked at Saito, who didn't say anything much. His eyes were slightly lowered, indicating that either he was bored, or annoyed. Possibly both.

An awkward interval of silence filled the room, something that Kira, unfortunately, had grown used to, even though she was only here for a day and a half.

…

After about an hour, they all left the room, and Kira was grateful. She couldn't stand to sit anymore, because she would usually be up on her feet, dancing for the long hours. She nearly stumbled out of the room!

She was back at the little… backyard, she guessed, and was happy to see the sun and blue sky. Being cooped up in a room like that didn't suit her. Her thoughts trailed to her iPod, which was still in her pocket, but she wanted to save the battery. Sighing, she rested her head on a wooden beam that supported the ceiling, down the ground. With one knee popped and one hand on her arm.

"_That_ bored, huh?" Okita asked as he took a seat right next to where she was standing.

Again, she jumped, more like her shoulders went up for half a second. She looked at him, he was leaning back, with both hands behind him on the floor. He looked relaxed, and Kira felt a pang of jealousy. If anything, being relaxed was the one thing that she hasn't done since she got here.

"Eh," she shrugged. "Personally, I didn't understand why I had to be included…"

"Because you were involved in today's events," Saito replied next to her.

_Oh my God! Is today Sneak-up-on-Kira Day?!_

"Hmmm," that was all she said.

"By the way, you never responded to Heisuke's question," Okita said.

"Yeah! Just because Hijikata-san interrupted doesn't mean that you're off the hook just yet, Kira-chan!" Heisuke said as he jumped off of the wooden pathway and in front of Kira.

She wanted to scream. Seriously, it was getting annoying! Being snuck up on like that, even if they didn't know it.

She slid down and folded her right leg underneath her left, which was now hanging off of the wooden porch. "Really…?" She sighed.

Heisuke laughed as he folded his arms. "Yep!"

"She doesn't have to answer if she doesn't want to," Saito said calmly.

"Oi, did Kira-chan say who was the better fighter yet?" Shinpachi asked.

_Oh. My. God! I swear if this happens one more time—_

"Hope I didn't miss it!" Sanosuke added.

Kira face-palmed inwardly. _Never mind. _She gave up and sighed. "Honestly," she started. "I have no idea." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Ehh?" Heisuke sighed, "C'mon, Kira-chan!"

"Well, I wouldn't know. I haven't seen any of you fight," she said as she looked at the three, who were dying to know who was the better fighter.

Saito then said forwardly, "Since you'll be a messenger, you said you've never held a sword before?"

The three, Heisuke, Sanosuke and Shinpachi, sighed in a unison, realizing that the subject had been changed.

Kira nodded, "Never. Well," her gaze averted to the sky and then back at Saito, "technically 'yes' if you count swinging a toy sword around."

He didn't look very happy when he heard that. "Swords aren't used for play. Why would you have 'toy swords' anyways?"

"Eh," she shrugged, realizing that he wasn't the type to keep an argument, and if there was, she had a feeling he would win. Nonetheless, she explained, "We don't use real swords in my country. Time. Period…?" She couldn't find the right word to describe where she came from.

"Huh? So how do your men fight from where you come from?" Sanosuke asked.

"Guns." She replied bluntly.

"Well, come on, Kira-chan!" Heisuke grinned at her.

"What?" She looked at him with confusion.

"Let's see if fooling around helped you!" He laughed.

Her heart, along with her stomach just… fell. _Oh God. I'm going to get killed. This is just damaging my pride even more— do I have any pride left? _Kira remembered the time when Okita had to teach her how to use chopsticks, and how her pride just went downhill. "But…!" She protested.

"Ah, c'mon," Okita smirked, "it would be nice to know if I don't have to kill you if you're in the way."

_This world is trying to kill me…_

* * *

**Ta da! Kira is going through so much in one day. Well, that's what she gets for being a modern girl to get teleported to the Shinsengumi era. I wonder when she's going to crack, because I have so many outcomes, and I can't choose! ; ;**

**So, to answer possible questions:**

**Yes, I know she still has her modern clothes, and you'll just have to read the future chapters to see if she actually gets a change of clothes. I think they'll have to eventually anyways.**

**The reason why she got in this mess in the first place will be explained in later chapters. Not sure exactly when though.**

**Oh, and I'll get to the story about the girl who disappeared when Kira arrived. **

**And the entire reason why I made this story, the relationship between Okita and Kira will bloom, eventually. Not right now of course. You guys know how Okita is at first, cold and cruel.**

**Well, thanks for reading another chapter! Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas, or whatever you celebrate! Consider this as a present, I guess!**

**R&R!**


	4. Behind the Shadows

**Okay, sorry for such a late update *shame on me!* I just got busy! OnO But I'm sure you don't care about my excuses though, so I'm just going to just… go read please!**

**Oh, I have mid-terms this coming week so I'm just dying all over the place!**

* * *

After minutes of pointless arguing, Kira finally conformed and reluctantly agreed to fight, or 'spar' as what Heisuke told her.

Turns out, they weren't going to use real swords, and Kira was relieved, but the idea of sparring even though she had no idea what she was doing wasn't a walk in the park either.

"So, it's simple. Just disarm your opponent, or knock them to the ground. Whichever works," Heisuke said as placed the wooden blade on his shoulder with a grin.

Kira sighed as she tightened her grip on the wooden sword.

He then posed, with the sword aimed towards her body, "Ready?"

_No?!_ "Uh, maybe?" She never felt so excited, yet nervous.

He then lunged forward.

Kira picked up her sword, only to have it clash with his. In the rush, she exclaimed, "Shit!" Kira didn't usually swear unless she's either terrified or angry. Really angry. This was no exception.

She could feel the strength Heisuke put on that strike. It was much more intense than her friends' attacks. Kira felt like her arms were going to disintegrate if she had to deflect another attack like that! Her arms shook, as a matter-of-fact.

He brought the sword down, bringing her with it, both putting pressure on each side. He spoke through the crossed swords, "Give up already, Kira-chan?" he asked with a grin.

"No!" She pulled back and stepped to the right, only feeling the edge of the sword brush against her side. She could even feel a gust of wind in its wake. "Seriously! Are you trying to kill me?!"

"Relax," he chuckled, "it's not like I'm going to really _hurt_ you!" He replied.

Their swords clashed again.

He was pretty strong. To think if his strength was this high, then the others would be ten times as that!

"Having fun?"

She scoffed, "Does it look like it?"

He shrugged, "Just wondering."

They pulled back, and after a series at attempts at slashing each other, Heisuke doing more of the slashing, he managed to get her. Right on her bandaged arm.

_Ow!_ Kira winced and immediately dropped the sword. It landed with a _thunk!_ and she kneeled down, holding her covered wound.

"Oh! Sorry, Kira-chan!" Heisuke exclaimed as he dropped his as well, crouching, trying to comfort her.

"Great, now you really did it!" Sanosuke scolded.

Kira smirked inwardly and grabbed the sword she dropped, pushing Heisuke off of his balance. H did and fell back with a thud.

She slowly got up and towered over him with a satisfied smile.

They were all silent.

"Before you say that that was foul play, I still could've stabbed you with my other hand…" _or worse._

"Ha ha! She beat you!" Shinpachi roared of laughter.

Kira sighed and plopped down beside Heisuke.

"I… that's cruel, Kira-chan!" He exclaimed as he sat up. "I thought I actually hurt you!" He sounded a bit angry, and it was now gnawing at Kira.

She blinked, "Well," she felt guilty and mustered up a few words, "it _did_ hurt. But for only half a second." She added.

Heisuke sat up and folded his arms, "Still! That wasn't funny!"

"Well, at least we know you can defend yourself." Saito said.

_That was just a wooden sword though…_

Heisuke's voice brought her back from her daydream, "Your arm! It's bleeding!" He exclaimed.

She looked at the bandage that was slowly collecting blood on the other side. "It's covered, so it's fine. It's not like it's going to get infected."

"I thought you didn't like blood," Okita countered.

"If there's a ridiculous amount, then yeah. Small cuts, that's fine." And then she remembered… that…_ thing_ that attacked her when she first got here. Covered in blood with a twisted grin, with the eyes of crimson and white hair that was dotted with the same red. Its laugh echoed through her ears and she shivered.

"Kira-chan?"

She wasn't sure who said her name. She couldn't tear away from the terrifying images. "And… what was that thing? It attacked me when I got here. It also wore the same uniform…" she did her best not to stutter. She felt bad for dampening the mood, but she couldn't banish the thought away.

This time, she didn't hear a response. They were all silent.

"Guys…?" She watched as they exchanged looks with each other, making her feel left out.

"If you tell her without my consent, there's a guarantee that I would kill you all," Hijikata growled.

Kira jumped, only to see Hijikata stepping out of one of the rooms. His scary side was back again, and it was enhanced.

"Ah, Hijikata-san!" Heisuke exclaimed.

"Relax, we didn't say anything," Okita put up his hands in defense.

She couldn't restrain herself any longer, so she asked, "What's up with this secret? Is it _that_ bad?"

The guys, minus Hijikata, simultaneously averted their gaze. Kira then wished she just kept quiet. Hijikata responded, "Something that should've never been possible."

Now, she really wanted to have kept her mouth shut, but it was too late. "So, are you going to tell me, or not?"

He sighed, "That 'thing' that attacked you…"

Kira nearly leaned in so she could hear the rest of it.

"Is a demon. A Rasetsu."

_A what…? _ "A demon…?"

"It was an experiment gone wrong."

Kira then asked, "And it was wearing the same thing… are you guys—"

"No. We're not." Saito said.

She was surprised to hear a sudden response from Saito. Almost making them look guiltier. It was like a messed up sci-fi movie, an experiment going horribly wrong, causing havoc in the city. But how did they manage to do that?! Extreme hypnotizing? An unknown drug?

"Those demons have incredible speed, strength and enhanced healing abilities. But it's hard to control them. I was hoping that you wouldn't bring it up too," Hijikata muttered.

Kira wanted to shrink back and crawl into a corner, considering that this subject seemed like one that wasn't brought up a lot. But she pressed on, curiosity getting to her. "So that's why you didn't want me to leave…?"

"That and because you don't know the area. It's too dangerous," he said.

_That just sounded like he… cared… _

"Well, now that you know, you better keep quiet about this," Okita said. He gave her a devious grin, "Or I'll kill you."

She nodded once, "Got it." With him threatening to kill someone almost constantly, she assumed it was normal, since the guys didn't really react to it. But she was glad that she knew a few things that got her into this mess. But the thought of how, and why she got here was still a mystery to her, and it would remain for a while.

…

With her arm re-bandaged, thanks to Sannan, she wandered about the headquarters, since she didn't want to go on patrol right now, since she was so hungry, and because she had nothing much to do. Kira _had_ thought of practicing her dance, but the room she used earlier was now filled with a bunch of men practicing using the sword, and she didn't want to dance in her room, nor dance outside.

And then the scent something cooking filled her nose. Her stomach immediately growled. Must be dinner time. She pulled out her iPod and checked the clock. 7:03 A.M— wait, that's not right. Guess her iPod clock didn't change when she magically went to Japan. And what was worse was that she didn't know what the real time was. Sighing, she shoved her iPod back into her pocket, and she started to follow the smell of food.

Eventually, her curious nose reached a sliding door. Opening it slightly, the smell became stronger. She nearly swooned. Food never smelled this good before.

"If you're just going to stand there, why don't you just come in and help?" Okita asked as he started to chop something that looked unknown to Kira.

She jumped. _How did he know I was there?!_ "Uh," she mumbled as she quickly went inside what looked like a kitchen, closing the door behind her. The kitchen had what looked like stove… with a fire that consumed the wood that cracked every now and then. On the… stove, Heisuke was stirring something in a pan. What sat in the pan was what looked like chunks of meat, or maybe it was something else. The food that was in the pan was unknown to her, but it smelled delicious either way.

"Oh, hey, Kira-chan!" Hesiuke exclaimed, taking his eyes off of the pan for half a second to meet her gaze.

"Hi." She said as she smiled lightly. "That smells really good. Just saying." She said as her eyes lingered on the pan.

"Hah, you think so?" He grinned.

She nodded, and then her eyes trailed to Okita, who was chopping away. "And how did you know I was there?"

He smirked, but he didn't look at her. He scraped the chopped vegetable into a pan as he replied, "Let's just say I'm very observant."

Kira rolled her eyes as she shook her head. "Anyways, you two make the food?" She couldn't exactly believe that just Heisuke and Okita prepared all of the food.

"Nah, we just alternate." Okita replied. _That makes sense._

Heisuke asked. "Wanna help out?"

"Well…" she thought for a moment. "I guess." She shrugged.

…

Throughout the time she helped make dinner, she just helped cutting vegetables and various items, since she didn't know how to make the entire meal. The two teased her for not knowing how to make food, which wasn't true in her point of view. She could make hamburgers, spaghetti, etc. Just not Japanese food… besides rice, but she just had to put that in a rice cooker, so that didn't really count.

During dinner time, she was surprised how good the food turned out, and she wasn't a big of a fail as she thought she would be. Kira also learned that she was going to out and patrol with Sano and Shinpachi, which she didn't mind much. She knew that these two were pretty crazy together… even crazier when Heisuke was around, so it wasn't like she would be walking around with unemotional people.

The sun was now gone, and the stars that hung suspended by invisible strings were mini lights in the sky. A few stray clouds covered the moon and the small suns. The empty roads of the city were filled with the men walking around, swords ready to be drawn. Their footsteps echoing off of the walls, filling the quiet town.

Kira walked in between Sano and Shinpach. She had some bandages wrapped around her feet to prevent anymore blisters, and it felt amazing to not walk with burning feet.

Shinpachi pointed at a corner, "Hey, Kira-chan. That's where I found you."

Both Harada and Kira looked at the alleyway that Shinpachi was pointing at. It sounded like was talking to a pet. The alley didn't look very familiar, since almost all of them looked the same to Kira. She still couldn't believe that it was two days since she was here. "And then I ran away from you," she added.

Harada chuckled. "I can probably guess why."

"Hey!" Shinpachi protested. "She was probably freaked out!"

"I was." She replied honestly. Kira glanced at her bandaged arm. Being attacked by a Rasetsu definitely made her terrified, one, she nearly got killed, and two, it meant that this is all real. It's _not_ a dream, so if she messed up in this world, then she would be gone.

"So how are your feet doing?" Harada asked.

"Uh," she glanced for half a second at her bandaged feet. "Well, it doesn't hurt right now… so I guess they're fine."

And then she saw a shift of shadows in a nearby alley by the corner of her eye. She slowed her pace and put her attention to the alley. _What was that?_ She shook her head. _Maybe I'm just paranoid. _Her heartbeat picked up as her mind wandered back to the memory of the Rasetstu. Kira shivered and unconsciously brought her hand to her bandaged arm.

"You okay, Kira-chan?" Shinpachi asked.

Tearing her eyes away from the alley, she refused to look him in the eye. Kira put her focus on the road ahead of her. "I…" she shook her head. "Thought I saw something."

"You won't have to worry," Harada grinned. "You have a dozen men with you, so it's no problem."

Kira nodded once. "Yeah." She couldn't help but take a second glance at the alley where she saw the shadow move. It seemed to be a bit too big for a small animal, so it was definitely a person. Maybe they were being followed— _Oh my God, Kira! Calm down!_

…

A man with blond hair and blood, red eyes stood atop of a building, far enough for the men on the ground to not see him. He stood in an arrogant stance, with his one hand on his swords. A smirk curled the corners of his mouth.

"Kazama-sama," another man said with long, brick red hair, who was dressed in a black robe. "This is the girl, correct?"

"Yes." Kazama replied bluntly.

"Well, why don't you just nab her and go?" A man said with a twisted grin. He had dark blue hair, almost purple, which was held in a ponytail.

"Hmpf. Let those dogs have their fun with the new girl." He said in a low voice. "And it wouldn't be much of a fight."

"But that girl is the key for new opportunities. If you wait too long, she'll just accidentally kill herself. She _did_ say that she wasn't accustomed to this world." He argued back.

"Just let have Kazama-sama have his way for now," the other man replied calmly.

"The girl isn't _that_ oblivious." Kazama replied. His eyes followed the girl in the strange clothing as she walked with the others in the city. "And it's not like we won't find her again."

"I just wanna know why she would do something like that to begin with."

"Why question it? She gave us demons the greatest opportunity that is yet to be taken."

He just scoffed as he folded his arms.

"Relax, Shiranui," Kazama said. "We'll take her soon enough."

* * *

**Oh my goodness...THIS IS SO SHORT! I apologize! I am disappointed in myself, but I just can't seem to think of anything else!**

** This is kind of a filler, minus the little introduction of Kazama and friends at the end. Anyways, again, I'm sorry for the late update and for the really pathetically short chapter. Truth is, I have the major points of the plot all charted out… I just need fillers, or chapters that help transition into them! If any of you are kind enough, would you mind giving me some ideas for fillers? That would be wonderful! But I promise the next few chapters will actually move the story along! PROMISE!**

**I have mid-terms this week, so expect a 2 week dead-ness from now on. I need to study my butt off, and then recover from the tests. ^^" **

**Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review~! **


	5. Mysteries

**DOTH MY EYES DECEIVE ME?! It's another update! I am so sorry! It's been ages and here is my list of excuses, but I highly doubt that they are decent:**

**Okay guys… my supposed 2 week break extended… by a lot. Partially due to procrastination and because I'm getting busy with tennis, and I barely have enough time or energy to do anything. Writer's block is blamed for this too. SO, sorry for the EXTREMELY long wait. And this is an even _shorter_ chapter and I am just so disappointed and frustrated. It's better than nothing though!**

* * *

It had been a week since she suddenly appeared in this time, and joined the Shinsengumi. She learned a bit more about the customs, but certainly didn't practice them. Kira also learned the basic layout of Kyoto, so she wasn't afraid of getting lost so easily. With all of the ups to this… there were the downs.

Kira eventually had to wash her hair. She had to actually take a bath…and being the only _girl_ made it a bit tricky. She couldn't describe how _awkward _it was. The first time she took a bath there… she never wanted to remember it, but it always seemed to come back, like a stubborn rash that would always come back right after it cleared.

As she was soaking, she heard the door open and heard footsteps. There were no voices, so she couldn't tell who was walking in. But eventually, she saw the face of Okita. And things just went downhill from there.

_"Shit! What the hell are you doing?!" Kira exclaimed as she tried to cover herself. The water splashed with her frantic movement._

_ Okita glanced at her for just half a second before closing her eyes and smiling. "Oh! Sorry for the intrusion! I didn't know you would be in here!"_

_ "Just get out!" She screeched as her cheeks flared up. _Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod, stop standing there and get out! _"Ever heard of knocking?!"_

_ He finally turned around and chuckled lightly, "It's nice to finally get a reaction out of you." _

Damnit. He _knew_ I was in here! _"Get out before I kill you!" She yelled back._

_ "Hey, that's my line," he mused before finally leaving, closing the door behind him._

It was kind of like how a guy would steal a girl's first kiss and they would go ballistic, but on a much larger scale.

Kira would still blush even after a few days passed after that incident. Even when they had meals, Okita seemed to somehow bring it up, and she would just bite her lip to prevent herself from lashing out, swearing and blushing at the same time. He wouldn't. Stop. Teasing her.

_Eating the rice out of the bowl, the guys around her were talking about random subjects, which she forced herself to stay out of, so she just remained focused on eating her food. But then a sentence came out of Okita's mouth._

_ "Heh, you know Kira-chan, you don't have to avoid me. I _did_ see you in the bath," he smirked._

_ Kira took in a huge sigh, tightening her grip on the bowl. The entire room went silent, followed by Saito replying, "Please, Okita-san, refrain from saying such things. She's already been through a lot."_

_ She sighed and looked down at her bowl._

As she finished her dance routine, Heisuke, Sanosuke and Shinpachi burst into the large room, all yelling out in unison, "Kira-chaaan~!"  
Kira looked at them, all with goofy grins on their faces. She was afraid to even ask what was going on. "Uh… yeah?"

"Come with us!" Heisuke said.  
"Why?" She drawled out as she lifted an eyebrow at him.  
"Just come on!" Sanosuke and Shinpachi said as they grabbed her arms and led her out, and she didn't have much reaction time.

…

The sun beat down on Kira as she walked with Heisuke, Sanosuke, Shinpachi and… Okita in the town. The stares that she was given were nerve wracking, not to mention just awkward for Kira. Yeah, she still had her modern clothes on, so she assumed that she would get the stares, but she never knew how intense the stares were. It wasn't like running around through Kyoto, because she didn't really pay attention, but this time, she was walking.

"So, what exactly are we doing? You're not doing your rounds," she said to no one directly.  
"Hmm," Okita placed his hands behind his head, "well, if you're gonna be staying here with us, you might as well blend in."

_How blunt can you get?_

"Ah, I gotcha," Kira nodded.

As they walked around, they saw a few stands selling food to baskets. Kira took in her surroundings, completely oblivious of what, or who was in front of her.

A squeal, followed by a hug, more like a tackle, snapped Kira out of her daydream. "Mi-chan!" The girl exclaimed as she squeezed Kira. Kira was sure that her ribs would break. This girl was _strong_.

Kira started to gasp for breath and the girl finally released her. The guys looked at the two.

"Friend of yours?" Heisuke asked.

The girl nodded without giving a chance for Kira to respond. "Yeah! She went missing, but I found her— I mean, _you _found her!" She bowed to the guys. "Thank you so much! I was so worried about her!"

"Wait!" Kira put up her hands in defense. "Slow down here. I'm _not_ who you think I am."

She faced Kira and this time gave her a good look. Kira did the same. The girl had dark brown hair that was tied in a low pony tail. Her eyes were a piercing blue shade. She wore a pale blue yukata. The girl furrowed her brows, and her smile faded. "Oh…" her voice sounded dejected. "You're not Mi-chan." She took a few steps back.

"Wait a minute, Miss." Sanosuke said. "You said your friend is missing?"

She nodded. "Yes, about a week ago… her name is Fukui Miho." she looked back at Kira. "And you looked so familiar and I couldn't help myself," she bowed at Kira. "I am so sorry!"

"Huh?" Kira shook her hands at the girl. "You don't need to apologize."

She straightened a bit and said, "Then again… your clothes look a bit funny." She widened her eyes. "Oh! Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Hayashi Akina." Akina turned to the guys. "And you must be the Shinsengumi."

"Wow, even without our uniforms people recognize us!" Shinpachi exclaimed.

"I like to observe," Akina replied.

"I'm Kira," she said.

Okita asked Kira, "So, you _don't_ know this girl?"

She shook her head.

"Well, we can be friends regardless!" Akina said with a smile. It was amazing how quickly she rebounded off of being so disappointed.

"Well, Kira-chan is from overseas, and we decided to take her shopping. I don't suppose you can help us?" Sanosuke asked Akina.

"Of course I can!" She said as she looked at Kira. "She does stick out like a sore thumb…" her voice trailed off.

"Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better," Kira nodded.

Okita chuckled. "At least you're with another girl. Shopping for clothes isn't really my thing," he smirked.

Kira didn't want to imagine what Okita had in mind if Akina didn't come along and nearly tackle her to the ground.

"Let's go then!" Shinpachi grinned.

…

They all went to a store, Akina and Kira were looking around to find the right yukata for her, while the guys lingered close by. Sanosuke, Heisuke and Shinpachi were laughing at something, but Kira didn't bother on figuring out what it was they were laughing about.

Okita pointed to one on the racks. "How about this one?"

Kira looked at him with an exasperated reply, "I told you for the _fourth _time! I don't like pink!" She whimpered a bit at the last few words.

"Eh? But you're wearing pink right now!" Akina pointed out the salmon and navy blue striped shirt Kira had on.

"That's different! I don't like all out pink. Besides, salmon has an orange tinge to it!" Kira defended.

Okita chuckled.

"Why don't you just try _one_ pink one?" Akina asked as she held up the pink yukata.

Might as well… or he would be bugging her about it. "Fine…" Kira muttered.

In the dressing room, Akina helped Kira put on the yukata. It was _so_ much work, compared to slipping on a shirt and jeans before heading out the door. She wondered if she would be able to put this on herself, but Akina mentioned that a kimono was even _more_ work, since it had much more layers.

The yukata was pink. Something Kira wasn't very fond of, but if it would get Okita off her back, then she would suffer through the minutes.

Kira finally stepped out, only to find her entire group standing in front of her.

"Wow, Kira-chan looks so cute!" Heisuke grinned.

"I agree!" Shinpachi added.

"You should've been in these clothes earlier," Sanosuke said.

Akina followed Kira and smiled. "Doesn't she look so cute? A lot better than the other clothes she had on!"

Kira muttered, "Those clothes are normal from where I'm from." The whole clothes situation was starting to tap dance on her last few nerves.

"So what do you think?" Akina asked Okita.

_Why?! Why did you have to ask _him_?!_

"Hmm," Okita folded his arms and grinned lightly. "Told you pink would look good on you, Kira-chan."

Kira wanted to crawl into a hole. Or at least cover a blush that was for sure visible. "No! Pink is _not_ my color!"

"It suits that cute face of yours though," Okita mused.

All eyes were on her now. Great.

"Aww, Kira-chan is blushing!" Akina giggled.

"S-shut up!" Kira said before she stormed back into the room, Akina followed in after her. She wasn't used to having this much attention… this close at least. During her recitals it didn't really matter, since the audience was sitting in the dark and she didn't pay much attention to them.

"So, let's try on the other ones!" Akina said as she closed the door behind them.

"Anything is better than this pink one…" Kira muttered.

"Ehhh? But that one man certainly liked that one!"

"And?" Kira didn't want to walk around in something she didn't like, especially if _Okita_ liked it.

Akina sighed, "Alright. I understand."

Time ticked away, and Kira finally decided to get a light green yukata, completely erasing the image of that pink one Okita _insisted_ that she should try on. Akina seemed to be siding with Okita already, trying to get her to buy the pink one instead, but Kira stood firm. But she had a feeling that Akina wasn't done yet. Despite all of that, Kira felt a bit glad. She managed to make a friend, and it was a _girl_ this time.

Akina was different from Bryn and Casy, and it relieved Kira. She missed home, and her friends. Today, Kira actually forgot that she was from a different time and was enjoying herself.

…

Everyone gathered in the room to eat dinner. To Kira's relief, it wasn't as crazy.

"I see that you've got new clothes," Kondou said to Kira.

She nodded and looked at him. "Yeah. Guess I won't stand out so much."

"Oh, Kondou-san," Sanosuke said. "When we were out there, some girl suddenly showed up and thought that Kira was the missing girl."

Hijikata looked up this time.

"Is that so," Kondou said.

"Did the girl say anything about the missing one?" Hijikata asked as he glanced at Kira.

Kira shook her head. "Nothing, other than her name. Fukui Miho I think."

"Well, now we have a name." Kondou said.

"Next time you see this girl, I want you to find out more about the missing girl," Hijikata said as he looked at Kira and then at the four that had been with her. "Maybe we can figure out why this happened in the first place," he finished.

Kira felt a little bad. Her new friend was going to be interrogated. She didn't exactly want to give off the impression that she befriended Akina just so she could find out more about Miho. Nonetheless, she nodded. One thing's for sure, she wanted to find out why all of this happened to her.

* * *

**Another short chapter, but this was more a filler, thanks to one of my readers! Thanks so much for the idea! Kira's going to be one busy girl now! And I apologize for the delay. Really. Procrastination and writers' block don't mix. So, what are your thoughts on Akina? And the name of our mysterious missing girl has been revealed! So many mysteries now!**

** I have spring break right now, so I **_**might**_** post the next chapter. **_**Might**_**. So I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Thanks R&R~!**


	6. Glinting Eyes

**Woo~ Another chapter~ So I hope you'll enjoy this chapter, since I had a blast writing it! Summer break is around the corner, so look forward to more updates!**

**-Jen**

* * *

The night sky was dotted with stars, the new moon blended with the black ocean. It was a calm night, a mild breeze rustled the leaves and the blades of the grass.

Kazama sat on a tree branch, listening to the peace the pathetic humans would disrupt during the day. His crimson eyes looked up at the sky, and then at the headquarters the girl was residing in. He kept a close eye on her, but not too close to get caught by those annoying _samurai_.

He knew exactly when he was going to pluck the girl off, he just needed to wait. Blinking slowly, he jumped down from the branch, landing quietly. His messy golden hair ruffled a bit in the breeze, but he paid no attention to it.

Maybe he would visit the girl for a minute, or two.

…

Kira was fast asleep on the futon, her hands placed in front of her face, and she was resting on her side. Her breathing was soft.

_She was sitting in a park, or a grassy field. And she saw Okita, he was talking to her, but it was murmurs. Why was she dreaming about him, she didn't know. Also, she couldn't understand what he was saying. She blinked, and turned her head, finding a silhouette of a person. She wasn't sure about the gender. It spoke to her too. _

_They were just words smashed and rearranged. Absolute gibberish. But this one word, 'choice' was the only thing decipherable to Kira's ears. The rest was as if she was underwater. _

_She wanted to talk, but it seemed like she couldn't control herself. She remained silent and looked at Okita and then back at the shadow._

_Taking a step forward, she fell. The grassy field vanished, a black space replaced it. She didn't scream, but she looked down as she fell. She saw nothing. Kira felt no wind brushing against her as she fell, but the top of her felt like she was being pushed. Pushed further, and further down. _

Kira snapped her eyes open, the falling sensation remained for a while before it faded away. Her eyes darted to the edge of her futon. She was on the ground, she _couldn't_ fall. She hated when that would happen.

She sighed and switched sides, closing her eyes and snuggling up with the blanket.

And then she heard a faint creak. Her shoulders twitched and she slowly opened her eyes.

There, standing behind the door, she could see the shadow of a man. She could see a faint red glow. Two of them actually. They looked like a pair of eyes. It was as if she could feel them shooting daggers at her.

Kira widened her eyes, holding back a gasp and sat up quickly. Her world around her spun a bit for getting up too quickly, but she didn't mind it. What she _did_ mind was the shadow. It freaked her out. It wasn't her imagination.

_Who the hell is he? _Maybe it was one of the guys. She slowly got up, now in her sleeping yukata, and quietly slid the door open, nearly gasping again.

No one.

She could've sworn she saw someone! She shivered despite the warm air. Her eyes flickered to the futon, but she didn't retreat back inside. Instead, she stepped out and sat on the edge of the walkway. The grass tickled her toes. Resting her head against the beam, she let out a soft sky and looked up, trying to look for the moon.

"It's a new moon." A voice said behind her. Okita's.

Kira jumped, but tried not to show her surprise. "Oh…" her voice was soft and fresh, since she just woke up.

She could hear his footsteps coming closer, and then they stopped. Okita leaned against the beam. He too was in a sleeping yukata. "So, what are you doing up so late?" His voice was gentle, but she could sense his usual grin.

"Just…" she paused. A dream? She thought she saw someone too…

"Just what? You had a nightmare?" A teasing ring tainted his voice.

"No," she said in a quick, hushed tone. "I just suddenly woke up."

"Whatever you say, Kira-chan." He sighed. "Always filled with mysteries."

"I could be saying the same thing for you," she looked up at him for the first time since their conversation started. Even without any decent lighting, she could still see him.

He looked down at her and folded his arms. He made a 'hmpf' sound before looking back up at the sky. "I just wanted to get some fresh air."

"Because _that_ sounds believable."

"You don't _have_ to."

A few minutes of silence ticked away. The two were just staring out at the grass, the sky and the stars.

Letting her train of thought wander wherever it please, she suddenly asked, "Are the nights always calm here?" She instantly wanted to smack herself for such a dumb question.

Okita looked at her, a bit surprised. His green eyes averted from her gaze then and looked at the stars. "Why? From where you're from is it the opposite?"

"Kind of." Cars still roaming up and down the streets, streetlights on, the screams of teens exploring the world beyond their curfew. Yeah, it was different.

"Usually it's calm I guess. I don't really pay much attention to it. But at night, in town, it's pretty hectic." He said with a shrug of his shoulders.

She wandered through her thoughts. Her life in the United States. The huge differences between the two countries and time periods. It was then when her name rung in her ears for a few seconds, she broke free from her trance.

"…Kira-chan!" He exclaimed, but not loud enough to stir anyone.

Kira blinked and looked back up at him. "Huh?"

"You were zoning out there."

"Oh. Sorry."

"Were you thinking about me?"

"No!" Her response just made her sound more suspicious.

A chuckle resonated through the hall. It was low. "Do you miss your home?"

She placed her hands behind her and leaned back on them. Her fingers picked at the small cracks in the wooden boards. "I try not to think about it. Considering it's halfway across the world." _And I'm from a different time._

A "hmm" was all that she heard from him.

She decided to continue, not wanting another interval of awkward silence. "Yeah, I get homesick once in a while. But there's enough to do here to keep my mind off things."

"Oh, really?"

Kira nodded. "Never knew that there is so much to do here."

"Now what's _that_ supposed to mean?" He lifted an eyebrow, and before she knew it, he took a seat next to her.

She tried to keep herself from stumbling over her words. "Well…I—I. Like, when you guys do your patrols and when I usually hang around here. That alone seems to pass time."

Another chuckle escaped his lips. It seemed genuine, and it seemed as if Kira could see the smile hidden with it. "Including the fact that you're the _only_ girl here at Headquarters. Am I right?"

She felt like crawling into a corner. She involuntarily blushed at the comment. "What—what's that's supposed to mean?!" Restraining her voice, so she wouldn't wake anyone, was getting harder.

His eyes glinted, like they were smiling. But he blinked and the shine went away. "You know _exactly_ what I mean, Kira-chan. Surrounded by all of these men, with _no_ competition." He mused.

"Why would you even say that?!" It was nearly impossible to avoid his gaze. "Oh my God, you're insane…" she muttered.

A smirk curled his lips. "Oh, you actually reacted the way I wanted you to. You look so cute when you blush."

Her cheeks reddened. "Fricken—you know what? I'm gonna go…!" She scrambled back up on her feet and quickly headed back to her room. When she closed the door behind her, she could still hear his chuckle linger in her ears.

Quickly walking back to her futon, she pulled the covers up to her shoulders and closed her eyes, forcing herself to fall asleep quickly.

…

Kira walked into the same room, to eat breakfast with everyone else. She couldn't sleep ever since her little talk with Okita. She could feel those green eyes just looking at her, including a pair of red ones. That's what really made her restless. The shadow of that man, the look it gave her, and how it completely vanished. For a moment she thought that it was Okita, but she clearly recalled that he had _green_ and not _red_ eyes.

With her brown to black hair combed, and faint circles under her eyes, she slid the door shut, only to see her food was already out, waiting for her.

"Morning Kira-chan!" Sano greeted her with a gentle smile.

She must've been glaring at him without her knowing it, because he lifted his eyebrow and then continued to eat. His smile erased.

"Why do you look so grumpy?" Heisuke asked before he took a big serving of rice.

Kira yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Sorry… I just had a rough night…" she walked to where her food was and sat down.

Her eyes darted to Okita, who just calmly at his breakfast. He winked at her before taking another bite out of his food.

Breakfast went by rather quickly, but it wasn't long before she was asked to go to town to do an errand. This time it was to buy more food. She accepted without protesting, learning that it was just annoying and headed off. Kira was grateful, it would keep her mind off of last night. Honestly, what went through Okita's mind was beyond her comprehension.

Taking the main road and holding a list of groceries, with characters she didn't understand, she passed a few homes and buildings. Now wearing the right clothes, she didn't stick out like a sore thumb. But she still wasn't used to it. It was so _hot_ and wearing this yukata that covered her _entire_ body, with _sleeves_ wasn't helping. The humid air hinted that it was going to rain soon.

Before she reached one of the vendors, a hand touched her shoulder. Kira whipped around, only to see none other than Akina. Her blue eyes glinted as she grinned. "Hey Kira-chan! Sorry if I startled you!" She said with a guilty smile as she took her hand back.

"Oh," she shook her head. "It's fine. What are you doing out here?"

"I was just dropping by to say hello to a family friend, and then I found you here!" Her smile widened.

"I'm just out shopping for some food." Kira gingerly held up the list. "But…I can't understand it." She said shamefully.

Akina blinked and giggled. "Ehh, you really are from overseas. Here, let me help you," she said as she took the list out of Kira's hand. Kira waited for her to tell her what the items were. "Okay, it's not a lot." She said as she started to head to one of the vendors.

"H-hey! Wait for me!" Kira hurried behind her only to see Akina holding up a bag of vegetables. She saw them a few times in the kitchen, but she never learned the names of them. Kira quickly handed the man the money. "Here, I can carry it. _I _was sent out for the shopping."

"No, it's fine!" Her voice softened as she gave her a reassuring smile. "And no matter how many times you'll tell me that you can handle it, I won't give in."

Kira lifted an eyebrow at the girl. She was pretty nice. "Fine… just let me hold the second bag okay?"

"Yeah!" She nodded.

It didn't take long for the girls to be finished with the list, but they were so deep in town, Kira lost direction of where to go from here. She never had been this far in town. But the marketplace Kira always passed didn't have all of the things they needed. So they headed further in town. Kira held two small bags, while Akina carried the other one. She tossed the list away and looked at Kira, "Okay, let's head back!"

Kira made a mental note to avoid getting sent to do the shopping. Or maybe at least conveniently bump into Akina so she could read it. "Lead the way."

Before Akina could start walking, a middle-aged woman, with fine wrinkles and slowly graying hair, walked up to her. "A-akina! You're needed back home!  
I…I've been looking everywhere for you!" She was clearly out of breath. "You're mother stopped by and said you haven't returned! She's worried!"

She gasped. "Ahh! I completely forgot!" Akina had a panicked look across her face.

Feeling a bit guilty, Kira said, "Here, give me the bag. I can get back on my own." She wanted to kick herself for this.

"Eh?! But Kira-chan—"

Kira put on her best smile. "No, I don't want you to get in trouble. Besides, I know where to go." Lie.

Akina gave her an unsure look and then finally sighed. "Fine, fine! I'm really sorry, Kira-chan! I'll see you later then, yeah?" She handed the bag to Kira in one swift move before hurrying into the crowd of people, disappearing instantly. The woman also seemed to have wandered off.

Kira looked to her left and right. Both sides looked the same with all of the vendors and buildings. Dammit. Where did she have to go?

She even asked people for directions, but they were of no use to her. They said to turn at certain buildings, things she didn't exactly memorize. Lesson learned. Know your surroundings before you venture off.

The clouds above her were quickly deepening their gray hues, manifesting into larger, ominous ones.

She became frantic, but tried to compose her exterior. She headed down one way on the main road, but only resulted in reaching a fork in the road. Kira sighed and glanced over her shoulder. Maybe she could turn around and try to the run the other way before she would be drenched.

The temptation was gnawing at her, but it quickly went away when a low rumble was heard echoing through the sky. People quickly walked to buildings for shelter, making the road practically barren.

_Dammit all…_ she groaned and decided to choose the right path. Quickly heading down the path, her pace gradually picked up as she started to feel rain drops sprinkle her hands. The buildings disappeared, followed by a pair of walls on either side of her.

Without warning, thunder rolled through the sky, followed by a crackle of lightning. As if knocking down dominos, the rain followed immediately after.

"Dammit!" She exclaimed under her breath. Kira continued to walk, trying not to slip, no thanks to the dirt road, now quickly turning to mud.

Her grip tightened around the bags as she felt the same sensation when she was in her room. Like she was falling. Her walk slowed, but she continued to move. She could feel the hair on her arms and the back of her neck rise as the feeling increased.

"Finally, some action around here," a voice chuckled darkly above her. Kira immediately froze, and her eyes slowly trailed from the dirt road to a man standing on the top of a wall. Blue hair in a pony tail, followed by a menacing grin and a tattoo on his arm. Her eyes flickered to the guns at his side. He had his arms folded.

_What..!? _Kira instinctively turned around, and found a man with messy golden hair…and red eyes looking at her. She nearly dropped all of her stuff. Those eyes that literally stared into her soul. The reason why she had a horrible night sleep. His eyebrows were slanted down, and an egoistic smirk curled the corners of his mouth.

Kazama.

"I was wondering when you would stop and turn around. Even if you're wearing clothes from this period, you still stick out," his baritone was menacing-sounding. It sent shivers down her spine, no thanks to the rain, which had successfully soaked her.

"W-who the hell are you…?" Her voice shook, but she remained firm.

"First time a female spoke to him like that," the one of the roof snickered.

"It's not like it would matter," Kazama replied. "Once this is all over, we can just toss her away. She's worth nothing more." He said darkly.

Kira took a few steps back, surprised to hear another voice behind her. "I apologize. But you aren't leaving." Trapped.

She didn't bother on turning around. "What the hell do you want from me?!"

"You wouldn't be able to handle so much information in one day, my dear." The same voice from behind her replied.

"It's not like you have a chance at escaping. Just come with us without a struggle. It'll save time," Kazama said as he took a step closer to her.

The three, Kazama, Shiranui and Amagiri, had her cornered. No where to run. But she wasn't going to give up, even though she was terrified, not to mention freezing and drenched. "As if I'm going with you!" Kira exclaimed as she threw the items at him and ran.

It was so _hard_ to run in the yukata, and the slippery surface didn't help. With the rain now pelting her face, making her skin sting, she darted down the path, only to be stopped again by Shiranui, he had her at gunpoint. Kira immediately stopped running and immediately backed up.

"What do you want from me?! Can't you just leave me alone?!" She asked no one in particular. They all seemed the same.

Kazama's eyes seemed to glow, they were angry. He walked up to her and forcefully grabbed her chin so she had to look at him. "Humans are so annoying," he said through clenched teeth. "Why did you have to be the target? Out of all people, _you_ were picked."

Target? Picked? Those two words lingered for a moment before she was snapped out of her daydream when he forcefully grabbed her arm. "I'm done with these games." He growled.

Before she could even scream, someone talked before her. "Hey, bastard! You're getting on my nerves!"

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**Dun dun duuuuun! Thank you for the nice reviews! And this concludes another chapter! Wow, I'm on a roll! Updating two stories in one month! :O I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the little Kira & Okita scene! **


	7. The Games

**I would like to thank you guys for all of these reviews! They make me so happy! I'm quite surprised that I updated this so quickly! O.O**

**Guest-**Thank you! And when he means 'target', well, you'll just have to stick around for that ;3 Believe me, there will be more fluff later on!

**Lily**- Well here you go, hope you enjoy! :3

**Ainhoa11**-Gahh, the puppy eyes… they're too irresistible! Here's the chapter!

**Carissa**-Thank you for the nice review!

**And now we will know the hero of Kira! I don't own Hakuoki…sadly.**

* * *

Kazama lifted a golden brow and slowly looked away from Kira and then to the owner of the voice. He remained silent, but his angry, red eyes showed all of his anger. His two demon friends followed his silence, but Shiranui's gun moved from facing Kira to the person.

She never felt so relieved. Her heart was hammering against her chest and hairs on the back of her neck stood straight up. Her arm was locked in an iron grip and she didn't dare move. She was too scared to tell who the owner of the voice was.

"Oh? Is this your friend?" Shiranui asked darkly.

"Yes! Now you leave Kira-chan alone!" The muffled voice in Kira's ears cleared, now revealing a lighter voice. Not even close to a man's tone.

Akina.

That brought her out of her trance roughly, kind of like being tied to a rope and pulled harshly only to crash into a brick wall. What was she doing here?! Akina was drenched too because of the rain. Her face didn't show a single sliver of fear.

Amagiri gave a look to Kazama, who just swore under his breath and ripped his hand away from Kira's arm. He straightened himself, his head held high as if he were superior and looked straight at Akina. "I'm surprised none of those dogs came rushing in." His blood red eyes flickered to Kira, nearly making her shudder. "I'll be back." Was all he said before he jumped into the air, reaching heights no human could reach, and turning into a small wisp.

His friends disappeared too.

Akina quickly rushed to Kira and placed reassuring hands on her shoulder. "Kira-chan! Are you alright?! I'm so sorry I left you like that! I should've went with you!" Akina exclaimed as she squeezed Kira in another death hug. She would've fallen over if it weren't for Akina being the anchor.

Her sudden outburst made it difficult for Kira to follow along, but she patted the girl's soaked back. "I-I'm fine! Really!" Kira's heart felt like it was going to burst. She had never been so terrified and relieved at the same time.

A crash of thunder made the two girls jump a bit. "Oh! I'm so stupid! We need to get to shelter! The Shinsengumi Headquarters isn't far from here!" She didn't wait for an answer, because she was already pulling Kira along through all of the rain.

Those eyes, being the _target_, what did it all mean? Kira tried to wrap her brain around it all, but failed miserably. She was muddled with the thoughts and couldn't break away from them.

Before she knew it, the two girls were at the gates of the Headquarters. The rain suddenly increased. It was so much that Kira couldn't see anything past a few feet. They quickly went under the overhang and took in a few breaths. Kira could hear the rain drops slap the roofing above her. Water dripped from her nose and she was soaked from head to toe.

Akina was in the same condition. And then her hand covered her mouth when she sneezed. Thunder sounded just in time to mask over the small sneeze.

"Bless you…" Kira muttered.

"Kira," a voice that sounded like Saito's was behind her.

She slowly turned her head.

"They were starting to get worried," he said. He glanced at Akina, and then back at her.

"Hey Saito-san, have you seen—" Heisuke's voice came from the other side. When he passed the corner and saw the two girls, he widened his eyes. "Kira-chan! You're back! We were getting worried! Are you alright?!"

"Heisuke-kun, the two girls are drenched. They need to dry off, so stop gawking. I'll go tell Hijikata-san." He said neutrally. He didn't sound as surprised as Heisuke was. Saito slowly turned and went back the way he came.

…

The two girls, now changed into dry clothes, with warm cups of tea in their hands, sat in the room, along with the rest of the guys. Kira didn't drink the tea, she just let it warm her frigid hands.

They sat across from Hijikata, who looked stressed enough. The rest of the guys were seated against the wall.

"I'm glad I finally get to talk to you, Hayashi-san." Hijikata said.

"Oh," she smiled lightly. "I'm honored, but…" she looked at her tea. "Why do you want to talk to me?"

He looked at Kira. "You didn't tell her?"

She shook her head. "I…I can't exactly befriend her _just_ so someone can talk to her." In other words, she didn't want it look like she was using Akina.

A new fold of wrinkles appeared in between his eyebrows. _Oops… he's pissed. _

"Please don't be mad at Kira-chan! I'm such a blabbermouth; I never gave her a chance to say anything!" Akina said firmly.

It was quiet in the room for a moment, and the sound of the storm traveled through the room without difficulty. "Well," he cleared his throat. His anger suddenly vanished. "I would like to talk to you about your missing friend."

"Oh, Mi-chan…" she said slowly.

Kira felt a pang of guilt. It was such a touchy subject for Akina. She could tell.

"Yes, do you know the details on that day?"

"Eh? Why would you want to know?"

Another interval of silence washed over everyone, but Okita broke the silence. "Because Kira-chan just so happened to appear on the same day your friend went missing."

Akina's blue eyes widened and she looked at Kira. "Ehh? Really? What a coincidence!"

"So do you have anything that could help us figure out why she's here?" Hijikata pressed.

Kira suddenly felt like a burden. The way he said it made her sulk.

"Well," Akina placed the cup next to her. "Mi-chan and I were out shopping that day. And as we left to go back to our homes, she took an alleyway, and then her parents told me she never came home!" Kira saw her tighten her fists. Her voice was shaking. She felt her heart being squeezed.

Everyone remained silent, to let her continue her story.

"They don't blame me for her disappearance, but I just can't help it! I could've walked with her! A-and then the same thing happened to Kira-chan!"

All eyes lit up and were now on Kira. She wanted to shrink back. _Why did you have to bring me in this?! Why?! _

"Really Kira-chan?! What happened?" Heisuke exclaimed, only to get hit on the head by Shinpachi.

"Idiot! Let her talk!" He said.

Kira ran her thumb over the edge of the cup. She refused to look at anyone in the eye, but she looked at the doors, letting her vision wander around the room.

"Is that true?" Hijikata asked. She could've sworn she heard some genuine worry in his voice.

"Y-yeah." She nearly choked on her word. "I was walking back from shopping…and then I got lost." Kira paused. "And then these three weird guys appeared out of nowhere and tried to kidnap me!" She finally exclaimed.

Lightning flashed and the thunder rolled softly.

She could hear the guys murmur amongst themselves. "One said that I was a _target_, and that's when Akina-chan saved me!"

There were no smart remarks from either Heisuke or anyone else. The tension was so palpable.

Akina frantically added, "It was just like when Mi-chan disappeared! Maybe…maybe she got kidnapped by these guys! And I didn't want that to happen again!" She sniffled a bit.

Hijikata looked at the two girls and then glared at Okita, "You idiot! You said she would be in your care! And now she has three men after her!" His voice could've been louder than the thunder if he tried.

Everyone jumped at his outburst.

"So what do you want me to do?" Okita lifted an eyebrow at him. As if unfazed by the insult that was thrown at him.

"Make sure she doesn't get into anymore harm! You're the first Unit Captain! How hard is it to protect _one girl_?!"

Okita remained silent.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, he looked at Saito, "When the storm clears, I want you to take Hayashi-san back to her home."

Saito dipped his head. "I understand, sir."

Eventually, the stormed cleared, leaving the strong smell of rain in the air. Kira now sat on a bench, saved from the rain because it was underneath the overhang. She let the humid, sticky air try to melt her freezing bones. Akina was taken back home with Saito, and Okita and Hijikata were having a talk inside. Despite his terrifying appearance and words, it seemed as if Hijikata cared about her. Okita acted as if it were nothing.

"You don't need to worry," Harada said behind her.

She glanced over her shoulder.

"It's not your fault," he said with a reassuring smile. "Souji usually gets under his skin every now and then."

"So it's always like this?"

"Depends if Kondou-san is around. He idolizes him," he said as he folded his arms and looked out at the clouds.

"Is that so?" Kira murmured.

"Yeah," he nodded. Before he could add anything else, Okita walked out of the room. His usual grin was plastered on his face.

"Go ahead and talk to him if you want," Harada said before walking away down the hall.

Kira watched him go past a corner. Her eyes trailed back to Okita. Their eyes locked for a few seconds, and she was the first to break away. It didn't take long for him to now stand next to her.

"So, what's the damage?" Kira asked without looking at him.

"Well, Hijikata-san says that if you need to leave Headquarters, I need to go with you. Not that I mind, you seem to always get into interesting events." He chuckled.

"Yeah, stuff happens to me all of the time…" she nodded. "Wait—" It took her a while to wrap around everything he said. "You have to what?!" She exclaimed as she looked back at him.

"You hear me. Consider me as your personal body guard," he winked at her.

"What—"

"Don't pretend to be so disappointed," he mused.

She bit her tongue. "I'm not disappointed…" she widened her eyes at what she said. "No! Wait! That didn't come out right!"

He let out a full laugh. It was like a wave of warm wind washing over a snowy field. It rung through the Headquarters, and once again, it lingered in her ears. "Are girls this amusing from where you come from?" He flashed a grin.

_Not all of them. Most of them are pretty bitchy. _She shrugged and then got up. She needed to get her mind off of this, and going outside Headquarters was definitely out of the question. She needed to find an empty room and literally dance away from these thoughts.

"Aww, you're not going to leave _now_ are you, Kira-chan?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact." She said as she started to walk to her room. There was no way she was going to dance in a yukata. She needed her shorts and tank top she missed so much.

"But I still wanna talk to you!" He pouted.

"Maybe later," she said as she slipped past him.

…

Kazama sat in his room in his mansion. He looked out at the golden sunset. He couldn't believe he let a female stop him from completing his mission. He swore under his breath. The next time the opportunity would come, he would kill anyone who stood in his way. Before another demon could take the girl.

"Kazama, she is coming—" Amagiri's voice beyond the door was cut short when the door slid open.

A short woman, almost mistaken as a young girl, with long, sleek, forest green hair walked in his room. It was tied in a high pony tail, and it reached just below the small of her back. Her curled bangs framed her face nicely. Her footsteps were delicate, placing one foot in front of the other as if testing the ground. Her light green eyes were sharp and her lips curled into a devious smirk. Her skin was flawless and pale. Wearing a golden yukata with an green obi, she stopped walking when she was a few feet away from him.

Kazama slowly turned his head. He didn't look surprised to see a female demon in his presence. He was used to it. Especially _this_ one. She would come in once in a while to chat with him, and damn was she annoying!

"Hello, Kazama," she let out a giggle. "I see you're empty handed again." Her voice was soft but dark.

He made a 'tch' sound and looked at the small demon girl. "Don't state the obvious. Why do you keep on returning here? You're obviously not welcomed," he said through tight lips.

"Aww," she feigned hurt and placed a hand over her heard. Long, sharp nails adorned her fingertips. They itself could be used as a lethal weapon if the female demon wanted to. "You hurt me, Kazama. Really, you do."

"Just say what you want to say before I kick you out of here," a growl came from the bottom of his throat.

"Why don't you say my name for once? I never hear you say it!" She said half-innocently.

"Because your name makes me cringe every time I say it, Maeko."

"Hmpf," she shrugged her petite shoulders and she folded her arms. "Anyways, I just wanted to say that you're in the lead of the hunt for that human girl. Kira, I think. But why didn't you just take her right there?" A dark giggle tainted her words.

"Because humans are annoying," he said.

"Ahh, stop being so vague. You're avoiding my question!" She slinked next to him and walked around him in a circle. She placed a small hand on his broad shoulders and ran it over his arms and chest. "Why didn't you just take her to end it?"

Kazama grabbed her hand rather forcefully. "Don't touch me," he said coldly.

She lifted an eyebrow at him, absolutely unfazed by his reply. Her light green eyes challenged his. "Then answer the question, why didn't you take her?"

He dug his nails in her hand before releasing it. "I wanted it to be silent. Too many witnesses," he said flatly.

A laugh rung through the room, like bells. "Why not cause some chaos for the humans? You always seem amused when they're panicking."

He wanted to get rid of her. _Now_. He wouldn't dare to tell her that another human girl stopped him. He still didn't understand why he backed off when she told him to. There was something about that girl that made him wonder.

"Ah, did I render you speechless?" She walked around him and ran a hand over his back. "Either way, you might as well take her before all of the demons flock to the poor town."

"If you want her to be caught already, why don't you fetch her yourself?" Venom dripped from his words. As if he would actually let her anyway. "You act as if this is a game," he took a step away from her and pushed her away. Why did she like to get on his nerves?

"Ahh, but I've no interest in her, but more for the chaos that she'll bring." She grinned wickedly. "It _is_ a game, if you think about it." She placed a finger on her chin and tapped it lightly. Saying thoughtfully, "You get the target, and the winner gets a new field of opportunity. Everything one wants. You'd be doing us all a favor if you'd just get her now. You're closest to her in location."

"So again, why do _I _have to get her? Why don't you do it?" His annoyance was obvious.

"Please," she giggled. "I plan to make my appearance in the game. You'll be surprised," she mused as she casually walked out without saying another word.

When Kazama could no longer detect her in the manor, he growled and cursed, "Damn that bitch! What the hell does she mean?" He tightened his fists, trying to keep his anger down. Maeko was a parasite, and he wanted to kill her so badly. But her death would have to wait.

* * *

** Surprise! Akina to the rescue! Honestly, if I had one of the guys to come save her, it would be way too cliché for me! **

**And I introduced another character! Keep an eye on this one! She's going to play a huge role later on in the story! But that's all I'm going to say about her, and before you ask, no she is **_**not**_** Kazama's lover. If you couldn't tell, he hates her! XD Do you guys know how hard it was to type the last part of the chapter without spoiling anything? Goodness! Starting from here, the story is going to get more in depth and it'll soon explain how Kira was sent there in the first place! Not to mention some future KiraxOkita moments too!**

** I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! Your reviews always encourage me, and not to mention it makes it easier, to write more chapters! Thank you! ^u^**


	8. Protect and Defense

**Well here you go, my lovelies! Another chapter! I'm starting to think if I should have some sort of update pattern…but I'm afraid that if I do that then I might rush myself, or maybe miss the deadline so I'm not really sure. I want to thank you guys again for the reviews!**

**Lily-** I guess my tips are…well… huh…(I suck at things like this) Find a topic that you can really relate to, something that's easy to think about. And this is just my opinion, but listening to music always helps me write things, from stories to essays and stuff (sorry, I suck at giving tips :'D. I'd PM you, but I can't PM guests ;; w ;; )

**Now, enough of me babbling like an idiot, here's the chapter! Your reviews are greatly appreciated! ^u^**

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For almost five days, Kira had been cooped up in Headquarters, usually helping out when she could. She felt like a prisoner…but she _could_ go outside if Okita would accompany her. It was something she was neutral about, because she would get some new scenery and then Okita was there with his endless collection of teases and smart remarks.

And what was worse was that her iPod finally ran out of battery. She was surprised that it lasted as long as it did, but that was probably due to seldom use. It was useless anyways, since wifi wouldn't be invented for a _long_ while. But she kept it tucked in her jeans pocket, just in case if there came a chance that she could go home. But minus the crazy demon slashing her arm a few weeks ago, and the strange dream, nothing seemed to be _magical_ or _out of the ordinary_.

She didn't count the days, but it almost seemed like a month, maybe a couple weeks.

Kira walked out of her room on a calm and peaceful morning, it looked like more like the afternoon. She had her hair in a messy braid from last night, but she took it out. She stretched and yawned, blinking her tired eyes.

She was content with the fact that she slept in, and by the looks of the sun, it was near noon.

The door slid open, the one that had the dining room, and Okita walked out. He looked at her for a moment before grinning and greeting her. "Well, it's about time you woke up, Kira-chan!"

"I usually sleep in," she said softly as she yawned and stretched.

"Huh, is that so?" He lifted an eyebrow. Okita looked like he was thinking about something. His emerald eyes flickered up to the sky and then back at Kira. "I was just gonna go get some dango after lunch. Wanna come with me?"

"Dah…what?" She wasn't here long enough to learn all of the food names, something that she was still frustrated about. She furrowed her brows in confusion, expecting an answer from Okita.

He chuckled. "_Dango_," he said slowly. "You seriously don't know what that is?"

"Hello? I'm not from here," she exclaimed with hand gestures.

"Well, come with me and you'll find out," he mused as he started to walk in the opposite direction, to the gate doors.

Kira made an exasperated sigh. She had nothing else to do. Quickly following after him, she added, "Why can't you just tell me?"

"Because if I do, then you won't follow me. Besides, you've been in Headquarters long enough, a change of scenery is an order."

Much to her reluctance, she couldn't help but agree. Even if she was now being hunted down by three strange men, she needed to get out and explore.

As they passed the threshold of the gates, Kira suddenly asked, "So, any news on the missing girl? Or those guys from a few days ago?"

Okita placed his hands behind his head, not looking at her. His face suddenly lost his carefree smile. "About the missing girl, we haven't found anything. The story that Akina girl gave us didn't really give us a lead, but it correlated somewhat to your story." He paused for a moment. "Those weird guys who tried to kidnap you… same with the missing girl, we didn't get anywhere. No one seems to know who they are."

"Really?" She couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. The want to go back home started to grow inside of her. Kira tried to quickly shake off the feeling before the conversation would go stale. "So, about this… _dango_… I'm already out here with you! Why can't you just tell me?"

He glanced at her and mused. "You'll find out soon enough."

"Can you tell me if it's good at least?" She lifted an eyebrow at him.

"Can't tell you that either, besides it's up to _you_ if you like it."

"You just made it sound like it's nasty or something!" She exclaimed. She just woke up and preferably wanted something tasteful.

He shrugged and pointed to a vendor. "There, we'll get some there," he said as he walked up to the stand. Kira followed and took in the scent of food, something like chicken or some other meat. Her mouth instantly watered. She was too busy drowning in the smell to pay attention that Okita was holding four small sticks with three dumplings skewered through, but she didn't exactly know that it was dumplings. "Here you go," he grinned as he handed one of them to her.

Kira looked at the food offered to her and hesitantly took it. It kind of reminded her of shish kabobs. "_Now _can you tell me what it is?"

"Eat it first, it's not like it's poison." He said before he took a bite out of his.

Taking a bite, she chewed. It tasted like chicken…like a dumpling from a Chinese restaurant.

"It's fried animal intestines in a rice ball," Okita muttered under his breath.

She widened her eyes and nearly coughed up the food that was already half-swallowed. _Fried animal intestines?! Ugh! Ew! Ew! Ew!_

Okita started to burst out in laughter, not caring if anyone was watching. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! It's _chicken_ in a rice ball. Calm down!" He bantered.

Not really sure if he was lying or telling the truth, she quickly swallowed and started to hit his arm. "Not cool! No! That was a dirty trick! Oh my God, I'm never trusting you again!" She ranted

He continued to laugh, he swiped his hand at hers, not exactly trying. "Ahh, okay, okay! Stop it!" He sighed and his laughter finally died down. "Oh, you should've seen your face."

She nearly threw down her dango. "Shut up! You'd freak out too if you'd realize you were eating _intestines_!"

He shrugged. "You never know," he said as he took another bite. "You gonna eat yours?"

She took a quick bite from hers as an answer. Sure, he tricked her, but she was pretty hungry. It was a complete fifteen seconds of her glaring at him before she averted her gaze. She watched as the people walked through the market.

Okita was already finished with his snack. His voice broke her from her trance. "So," he said nonchalantly. "You should tell me what your hometown is like."

Lifting an eyebrow, she looked at him. "...why?"

Shrugging, he replied coolly, "I'm interested."

Acknowledging the fact that it was better than sitting in awkward silence, she nodded. "Alright. What do you want to know?"

A smirk curled his lips. "Like, what do you do on a daily basis back home?"

"Well..." she thought. "I go to school, like any normal teen. I watch TV and go on the computer. And I dance for...four hours each day." She couldn't believe she nearly forgot her normal life. It was another stab to the heart that she wasn't from here, and she had been gone for so long.

"Ehh, school? Must be really smart, huh?" He winked at her.

Was this a way of flirting? Kira dismissed the thought.

"But...what's 'TV' and 'computer'?" Confusion was written all over his face.

"Ahh, it's hard to explain." She paused. Even if she did explain, he probably wouldn't know about electricity or anything like that. She was tempted to call them 'magical picture boxes'. "It's a box that shows anything really. A computer is like the same thing, only smaller."

He nodded, but it didn't seem he fully understood it. "And you mentioned that you dance, and I saw you a couple of times. Maybe you should give me a lesson or two," he chuckled.

She didn't know why, but her cheeks flared up at the comment. "You wouldn't be able to keep up." She protested.

"True," he suddenly leaned closer. "But maybe you could give me a few tricks or whatever...I could always teach you how to use a sword in return," he mused.

His offer was very tempting. After all, she have to know how to protect herself, especially when three strange men were after her. After a few more bites, she too was done with her snack. "Well," she thought for a moment. "Why do you want to learn how to dance?" She couldn't imagine him doing jazz hands or anything like that.

"Ehh, I was just kidding Kira-chan." Okita leaned back and a devious smile spread across his face. "You _want _to teach me? Or is it because so you want to spend some time with me?"

Kira smacked his arm lightly. "Quit it with the teasing! I'm never going to take you seriously ever again!" She huffed. "I'm already stuck with you."

He feigned hurt by putting a hand over his heart. "Oh, that hurt, right there. Why are you so mean, Kira-chan?"

"Ugh whatever," she said as she quickly stood up and started to walk in no specific direction.

Okita was beside her in a matter of seconds. "Now don't run off on me, you could get in trouble." He said as if he were scolding a child.

"Yes, _mom_." Kira replied. He was tap dancing on her last few nerves. Dancing. Sighing, she folded her arms and gave Okita a look. "So you want to learn how to dance?"

"Is that a challenge?"

"Maybe. If you'd really teach me how to fight with a sword," she said slowly. "Then I'd guess we'd have a deal." Muttered Kira.

Lifting a brick red eyebrow, Okita folded his arms. "I think we can arrange that. But I'm not Heisuke-kun, so it'll be harder to beat me."

She shrugged. "Whatever you say."

"You're not taking me seriously," said Okita. "Are you?"

"I _did_ say I wasn't going to, so yeah." He reminded her so much of her friends for some reason. Was it because he'd tease her to no end like Casy and Bryn? Without being able to scan the words, she said out loud, "You're like them."

"Hmm?"

She widened her eyes and an exasperated sigh escaped her lips. "Agh, I didn't mean to say that! It slipped," she muttered the latter.

"I was going to ignore it, but now since you're making such a fuss about it...who's _them_?"

The dancer realized that there was no way out of this one... "Just...my friends," a bitter smile curled her lips. She really missed them.

He nodded in understanding. "And so how am I like them?"

Shrugging her shoulders, she replied honestly, "Not really sure. Maybe...nah, never mind." Her eyes flickered to a few of the vendors. She scanned over the assorted items being sold, and customers, examining and exchanging money. Then she stopped and locked eyes with those blood, red eyes. _What's he doing here?!_

Okita nudged her. "Oi, Kira-chan, what's wrong?" He followed her gaze and eventually saw the man she was staring at. "Is that him?" He asked huskily. He immediately stiffened.

All she could do was nod. What was even worse was that he was staring right back at her, as if trying to break her from the inside out. She unconsciously moved closer to Okita.

He swore under his breath. "C'mon, Kira-chan," he said as he tugged on her arm. "We need to tell Hijikata-san about this." Looking down at her, he managed to pull Kira away from Kazama's piercing gaze.

An angry red was replaced by a calm, emerald green. She nodded at him and let him lead her through the town. She didn't dare to turn around. There was something about him that she didn't like, and not just because he wanted to kidnap her.

...

In Headquarters, the three, Kira, Okita and Hijikata were in that same room from yesterday. Everyone else was either patrolling or doing something of the sort.

"Dammit," the Vice-Commander muttered. "Damn it all. Out of all people, why _him_?"

Kira sat there as Okita explained the situation to an angered Hijikata. "If we would've known earlier that it was Kazama," Okita sighed. "At least we know who's after her."

"Souji," he sounded strict, yet concerned. "This bastard is a _demon_. This makes the situation even worse. Who knows what he wants from Kira. He brought her here in the first place." He folded his arms and looked down at the ground.

Kira finally spoke up. "We don't know if he's behind all this...and besides, if he was behind all of this, why does he want to take me back? He would've just." She hesitated at the next word. "...kidnapped me without any of this happening. And," she looked at both men. "How do you know this guy?"

"We encountered him and his little gang a while back," replied Okita. "He put up one hell of a fight." He said through clenched teeth.

"And when you say 'demon' that's just a figure of speech right?" She asked slowly.

The two men were silent for a moment. It made her wish she didn't ask that. "No. He's a real demon, straight from hell," Hijikata muttered the last part.

Blinking her eyes, she gave him an incredulous look. "Really...? As in, the horns and pointy ears? Demons don't really exist right?"

"Not sure about where you came from, but here they exist. It's rare though," he replied. Looking at Okita he said, "I'll alert Kondou-san and the others. Don't take your eyes off Kira."

"Alright, alright," Okita said. "But does that mean I have to drag her with me during my patrols?" He winked at her, but she rolled her eyes in response.

Hijikata was silent for a moment, as if actually thinking about it. He sighed, either out of frustration or defeat. "Although I prefer for her to stay in Headquarters, since we know that bastard is the one who's after her, you said you'd watch her…"

"She _did_ beat Heisuke-kun at sparring." He pointed out, musing.

"If she can protect herself…" he slowly said.

Putting up a serious look, Okita assured. "Don't worry, Hijikata-san. I'll take care of it."

_So...Okita is really going to teach me how to fight with a sword? _

* * *

**Short chapter is short. Consider it a filler...with a few hints of future events. Can you figure them out? Ugh, I hate fillers, but honestly, I can't have one intense event happen after another! You gotta space it out! QuQ **

**.:PLEASE READ THIS:.**

**This week is the starting of finals. I might work on a few bits of the chapter, but I definitely won't finish the next chapter by the end of the week. Starting next week, til the 5th of July, I'll be going on vacation. Do you know what that means? It means, no chapters or _anything_ during that time. NOTHING. I'm 1020% sure about this. Who knows, I might get inspired to write something off of my experience! I just wanted to be nice and give you guys another chapter before I temporarily leave. I hope you guys have an awesome summer! **

**Thanks for reading another chapter of Dance of Swords, and I just want to say 'thank you' to all of these reviews. They make me smile so much! You all are wonderful! Please review~ **

**-Jen **


	9. Pure Fear

**I am back~ Well, I've been back since the 5****th****, but I've been resting and such. Anyways, I'm back, and recharged! I bring you another chapter! Inspiration struck when I was gone, and I was dying for a computer to type it on. I never manage to write things down because I lose them in the end. **

** I'm really happy that I managed to finish this so quickly, and the length of it is actually decent, in my opinion anyways. :D**

** Haha, anyways, hope you enjoy the chapter~! I don't own Hakuoki or any of its characters, except for Kira.**

* * *

Kira sat on one of the benches, now changed back into her 'normal' clothes. After the little meeting with Hijikata, Okita told her to wait outside, and she did. From what she remembered, Hijikata was going to tell the commander about their discovered enemy, and it was fairly quiet. She could help but think that either it was her, or the temperature got higher. Not to mention it was so _humid_.

_God, how can people wear all of those layers?! _She let out a frustrated sigh and craned her neck up to see the clouds roll on by. For a moment, it felt like she was back home, sprawled out on the cushioned swing, listening to music. Her little daydream was interrupted when something bopped her head.

"Hey!" Kira looked over her shoulder and saw Okita, once again. Her eyes flickered to the two sheathed swords in his hand. "So… you were serious?" She asked sheepishly.

"You thought I was lying?" He lifted an eyebrow at her.

"Well…" her voice trailed off. "Ah, you know what, never mind." She eyed the swords more carefully. "We're using real swords?"

"So many questions," he sighed. "Why do you ask, are you nervous?" His trademark smirk curled his lips.

"Kinda…?" Kira stood and was handed one of the swords. "Waving around a huge chunk of metal isn't exactly safe…"

"That's why I'm gonna teach you," he winked at her. "Since we know who's after you, we should just skip to the real swords. It's no different than a wooden one." He said as he unsheathed his sword. The metal glinted in the sun. "Except for the part that you can slice anything in two."

"Thanks, that really makes me feel better…" she said dryly. She copied his movements and unsheathed the sword. It looked so much slender than the big, bulky swords she would see in movies. "Are you sure this is a good idea though? I could hurt someone, and that someone could be me…" She was graceful when she danced, but carrying a sword was a different story.

Okita chuckled and walked onto the grass. He beckoned for her. "Relax, you won't have to worry about that. I'll make sure you won't get hurt." He said in a tone Kira couldn't tell if he was joking or not. "Now, hold the katana like this," he said as he held out his in front of him.

Kira copied his moves, holding the katana in front of her. She felt bit awkward.

He put down his sword and walked behind Kira. He placed his hands on hers. "Your hands need to be like this, otherwise it'll be easily knocked out of your grasp." He said as he repositioned her hands. Kira couldn't help but think of his chest against her back. When she finally caught her thoughts, she mentally slapped herself.

_Why am I thinking about this?! God, calm down, Kira! _

"Understand?" Okita's voice broke her train of thought.

She managed to nod, and also managed to feel her heart thrum against her chest. When he left her, she immediately lost the warmth on her back, but could still feel his fingers on her hands.

He stood in front of her, sword pointed towards her. "When someone tries to attack you, block." He raised his sword, high above their heads. He brought it down, quicker than she thought, and immediately lifted her arms and blocked the somewhat slow attack. The metals clicked together. "See, it's not _that_ bad," he mused. Okita took the katana away and lunged straight at her.

She widened her eyes and completely forgot about blocking. She took a step to the side and dodged it. She could hear it cut through the air. "Hey!" Kira tightened her grip on the sword and took swing to his side, only to be blocked at lightning speed.

Their clashed swords made a ringing sound that echoed all around them. Kira was putting all of her strength in keeping her katana from sliding. She could feel his strength, and it looked like he wasn't even trying.

They locked eyes with each other. "Now you're getting the hang of it. Though your form is horrible," he chuckled.

She scowled at him. "Well, can you blame me? I'm at a disadvantage here!"

"What? Am I too tough for you?" He mused.

Knowing that whatever she would say would only be twisted by him, she just rolled her eyes at him. She put all her weight to one side and the swords scraped against each other. She turned and attempted another slash at the side, but in an instant, their swords clashed again, only resulting in the katana being knocked out of her hands. Its blade stuck in the ground a few feet away. Her hands trembled, having the katana being so easily knocked out of her grasp, even when she was holding so tightly. It felt like her hands were going to fall off.

Okita grabbed her by the shoulders, and pulled her close to him. Her back against his chest once again, but this time, the blade was dangerously close to her neck. "And this is how you'll get killed easily. You just keep on swinging, with no goal in particular. You need to think before you do anything else," he said.

"Sure, plan your every attack in the heat of the moment. That's successful," she muttered sarcastically. "You wanna let go of me?" She asked as she glanced at the glinting metal, just inches away from her skin.

He moved the blade away and released her. Kira made sure there was a good enough gap between them.

"Well, you were against a Unit Captain. Of course I would beat you easily," he said with a smug look on his face, resulting in Kira rolling her eyes again. "Against any average man, you'd at least manage to defend yourself." He walked over to the discarded katana and plucked it off the ground. He looked at the blade and then back at her. "Though, you don't look like you would fight, even if you were provoked."

She wasn't exactly fond of him examining her, what she would and wouldn't do. "Well, where I come from, we don't walk around with swords and kill people!" She couldn't say that they were more civilized. They had guns, and there was always something on the news about gunshots and stuff. Kira shook her head and sighed. "No, I wouldn't." She finally said. She never imagined herself protecting herself from other weirdos, let alone kill if she had to.

"Hmpf, looks like I _have_ to protect you all the time then," he smirked.

Briskly walking up to him, she grabbed the katana she used away from his grasp. "I'm not helpless you know!" She looked at the katana and muttered, "But carrying a sword around isn't a bad idea… I guess it could intimidate people."

"Well," he chuckled. "One thing's for sure, you won't be intimidating me."

"I wasn't directing the comment at you, stupid! You're so self-absorbed!" She huffed as she found the scabbard and sheathed the weapon.

He feigned hurt. "Kira-chan is so mean! Calling me stupid!"

"Is that all you can say about me, saying that I'm mean? Be more creative," she scoffed as she walked away, in no particular direction.

"Hmpf," was all that Kira heard before he called out, "hey, I taught you how to fight—"

"Barely," she cut him off.

He quickly walked up to her and sheathed his sword. "The basics," he stuck out his tongue at her. "So you should teach me –the basics- of dancing! We had a deal."

Kira stopped at mid-stride. "You're serious…? You're that curious?"

He shrugged. "A deal is a deal," he said simply. A playful grin curled his lips. "I'm at your mercy." He said in a sing-song tone.

…

They were in that same room where Kira would practice dancing. Empty and quiet. She couldn't believe she was doing this. Teaching Okita how to dance. By some miracle, her iPod still had some juice, but it would probably last for a few minutes. Before she selected a song, she looked at Okita, trying to imagine him performing a pirouette.

He folded his arms. "See something you like Kira-chan?" He smirked and lifted an eyebrow at her.

"Ah, shut up…" she slapped herself mentally for making it sound like she was checking him out. She walked up to him to get a closer look. "Well, ballet is _definitely _out of the question." She laughed lightly, trying to imagine him do ridiculous jumps and spins. "Ahh… jazz wouldn't be good either. And tap is a big 'no'." She thought for a moment. "The only thing that you could possibly keep up with…is traditional dancing in my opinion." In the past, she took traditional along with her three majors, but dropped it since it was so boring.

"Traditional dancing eh? With a fan and everything?" Okita had a quizzical look on his face.

"What?" She matched his confused look. "Traditional dancing… like uh." She moved her hands a bit, as if to help her. "European traditional dancing? Um, this is really hard to explain. Waltzing?"

"If you're gonna teach me, what good is it if my instructor doesn't even know how to explain it?"

That comment just stabbed her. Her cheeks flared. "Well if you don't want me to teach you then that's fine with me!"

"Relax," he laughed lightly. "I'm only kidding. You look cute when you get flustered."

She made an exasperated sigh. "Well… I guess I'm better at explaining with actions." She muttered under her breath. "So, you put your hand," she grasped his hand and placed it on her waist and put her left hand on his shoulder, "here. And the other," she took his other hand in hers. "Like this."

"Such an intimate dance. I see where this is going," he smirked.

"Stop teasing for a moment!" She did her utmost best at keeping her blush down. Sure, she danced with many guys, but she couldn't help but think that this one was different in some way. "Usually, the guy would lead. So you take a step forward with your left foot."

He did so, and she moved her foot back.

After a few minutes of instructing and nearly getting her feet stepped on multiple times, she took out her iPod and quickly selected one of the songs she kept for traditional dancing. The song echoed through the room. She set it on the floor and looked up at Okita.

Then went along with the beat. "Huh, you're doing pretty good…" she admitted.

"Well what can I say?" He grinned. Kira was waiting for another arrogant comment. "You're a good teacher." He said, without any hint of teasing or anything of the sort. Something she found foreign, and she nearly lost track of what step was next.

"Oh, uh. Thanks." Kira stumbled a bit, but Okita was quick to catch her.

"Are you sure you're a dancer? Aren't they supposed to be graceful?" His joking demeanor was back again. Almost immediately, he got them back to the dance.

"I was just thinking about something," she said quickly. "And no, before you ask, I wasn't thinking about you." That was the biggest lie yet.

"Relax, I wasn't going to anyways," he chuckled.

"Of course you weren't," she squinted his eyes at him and with that, her iPod died. Probably with no chance of reviving until she got her charger…and an electrical output. The two stopped dancing and slowly pulled away from each other.

"Well, that was a new experience," Okita said. "Maybe we should do it again, even if there isn't any music."

She was silent for a moment. Kira picked up her dead iPod. "You might be caught by one of the guys… doing such a _strange _dance. They might tease you for it." A small smile curled the corners of her mouth.

"Or they might be interested and you could teach every guy in Headquarters how to… uh, 'waltz' is it? Ahh, but then again, I want to be special and be the only one who knows how."

"Ugh, I think I regret teaching you," she said as she quickly walked past him without giving him a second look. But it took all that she had to keep walking and not look, strangely.

…

Later that night, Kira came from the bath. She felt refreshed, and tired. As she closed the door to her room, she heard something in the darkened corner. The one spot the light of the moon didn't touch.

She remained silent and just looked at the shadowed corner. Five, agonizing seconds ticked away before an unfamiliar voice. "Hmm, what a shame. Kazama didn't steal you away from this dump," a female voice sighed. She took a step so that black didn't shroud her face. The abnormally deep green hair and the piercing eyes were all that Kira noticed. It felt like her eyes kept her in a trance, because she wasn't bolting out of the room like she hoped. Eyes that reminded her of Kazama's.

It was Maeko, a demon Kira was unfamiliar with. A smile curled her lips. "But maybe that's his plan."

"Now who the hell are _you_?" Kira had no idea where her sudden confidence sprung from, but as quick as it came, it left.

Her smile turned into a menacing glare. "Watch your tongue, human. I could slit your throat and be done with it if I really wanted to. Or I could slowly choke you to death." She walked up to her so that she was three feet away. Maeko examined her. "It seems like you know nothing yet, and what you know now is misleading." An amused giggle emitted from her. It sounded sweet and sinister, making her cringe.

"Do you know… why I'm here?" She asked in a shaky voice.

"Yes, I do." Said Maeko.

"Could… could you tell me? Do you know how I can go back?" All of her held back questions came flooding out of her. She wanted to know all the answers. Or at least the answers that she wanted to hear.

In less than a second, Maeko's clawed hand grabbed her neck. She squeezed tightly, making Kira's head dizzy and throbbing. Slamming her against the wall, Maeko hissed with clenched teeth. "Didn't I tell you to watch your tongue? You humans are all annoying, it's a surprise Kazama didn't kill you. He has a higher tolerance than me."

Kira felt her throat constrict and she was gasping for air that her lungs cried out for. She tried to pry her fingers away, but to no avail. A little squeak came out of her mouth, but nothing else. Her heart thrummed against her chest as she thought about the situation she was in. She could be killed, right here, and no one would know.

"Consider this a warning. Play the game right, or I'll have to kill you early. Demons can't wait forever," and with that, with the strength of a gorilla, she flung Kira across the room.

She didn't have time to yell for help, as she was still struggling to gasp for air. She was still assessing how she threw her like she weighed nothing. But her body reached the wall before she could think anymore. A scream of pain came out and she fell. Her body was sprawled on the floor. From her back to her head, she hurt. Mainly her head was the one in most pain.

Tears blurred her vision and poured down. Through her vision, the feet of the demon were there... and the next, no more. That's when her door slid open and a few men rushed to her. Her ears cringed at all of the noise and her head was throbbing.

She could make out the voices, Hijikata, Heisuke and Okita. The others were scanning her room. Heisuke helped her sit up. "Kira-chan! Are you okay?! What happened?" He asked in a panicked stricken voice.

"Was someone in your room?" Asked Hijikata. "We heard you scream and a loud noise."

Fear and relief washed over her. Never once did she feel like this. After all this time she was here, she broke down. Letting out all the tears she held back. From missing her family, the fear of never returning home, and now this. She didn't waste and second and wrapped her arms around the nearest body. "I-I could've died! She could've killed me! She-she...!" A flash of those eyes, her's and Kazama's, created another wave of tears. It was fear. Pure, raw fear.

Hijikata was silent before telling the others in her room, "We have an intruder! Search the area!"

"Sir," Saito nodded and the others left the room.

A voice in her left ear was soft. "Relax, whoever she was is gone. You'll be alright." What really shocked Kira in her little breakdown was that she was clinging to Okita.

* * *

**And…we'll leave it at that! I'm pretty happy that I finished this chapter so fast, which probably would be ages for you guys! Anyways, a lot of stuff happened, mainly fluff because I was in the mood and it's been a while since I updated. Besides, gotta make their relationship grow anyways!**

** It was a bit more than a filler, due to Maeko's sudden appearance, and that's only going trigger more events. ****Huh, and this is the first time we see Kira actually vulnerable...awww I feel kinda bad. **

**Please don't forget to REVIEW! Thanks~ Ahh, I'm getting excited for the future chapters! **

**-Jen**


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